


Tapestry Pt 2

by Swing_Away_Merrill



Series: Augmented Reality [2]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alien Biology, Alien Swearing, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Violence, Canon-Typical Violence, Death, Dreams and Nightmares, F/M, Father Figures, Flashbacks, Found Alien Family, Found Family, Gen, Government Agencies, Grief/Mourning, Group chat, Hilarity, Human/Unethical Experimentation, Humor, PTSD, Past Relationships, Redemption, Sci-Fi, Sibling conflict, TFP Season Two, The OCs are not good siblings, Tremendous Absurdity, War, silliness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:41:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 119,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25953124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swing_Away_Merrill/pseuds/Swing_Away_Merrill
Summary: “I’m not griping,” Nova said defensively. “I’m guilty. I never killed anyone before.”“Yeah, well, the first time I had to kill a ‘Con, how do you think I felt?” Bulkhead asked. “Or Jackie, or Bee, or Optimus? How do you think Optimus feels? I’ll tell you. He feels like slag all the time, but he knows he’s gotta fight. Without him trying, more people are gonna get hurt, and if he can stop the bad guys from doing that, you bet he will.”“But he hasn’t killed his brother,” Nova said. “I have.”“Optimus might have to kill his own brother, one day, and for now, he’s got no choice but to assume that Megatron’s his enemy. How do you think he’s feeling about that?”
Relationships: Elita One/Optimus Prime (past)
Series: Augmented Reality [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1854070
Comments: 34
Kudos: 20





	1. Orion Pax, Pt 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have not read Tapestry pt 1, you are going to be lost! Find it here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25581379/chapters/62082235
> 
> And THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING YOU GUYS!!

Nova scurried along the ventilation shaft quickly, irritated that she had overslept. The previous night had ended with Optimus, now called Orion Pax, being escorted to his quarters while Knock Out prepared the medical bay for a “cosmetic alteration,” a statement which sounded ominous to Nova.

Luckily, she had escaped narrowly into the ducts without being seen by anyone.

Navigating her way across the warship took some time, and her lack of familiarity with its layout made finding the medical bay even more difficult, so eventually she found herself going in circles above the bridge again, where Megatron was addressing all his troops at once in Optimus’ absence.

Nova had inched very quietly through the duct, but stopped for a moment as she heard the words spoken from below.

“…Our guest is currently in isolation, to help ease his transition,” Megatron explained. “But when Orion Pax emerges, he is to be shown every courtesy.”

He added in an afterthought — “But the first to address him as Optimus Prime will have their voice box torn out.”

Nova had gulped and continued on ahead. It took her about ten minutes to finally locate the medical bay, and several times she stumbled in the duct or had to wriggle between close spaces in the wall, both of which made a lot of noise, but luckily there were few Decepticons on patrol, and no one discovered her presence.

That night, feeling sick and exhausted from the Dark Energon she had endured, she had crawled into the duct above the medical bay and, seeing that Optimus had not yet arrived, she took up a post behind one of the main ventilation grates where she could observe everything, and sat down to wait.

She had jerked awake a while later, and the first thing she felt was irritation at being in the dark.

What had woken her up had been the sound of the medical table lowering to its former position with a _whrrr-chunk_. Optimus now lay upon it, with Knock Out standing close by, and what Nova saw freshly engraved upon his shoulder made her recoil in horror.

“Welcome back to the winning team,” Knock Out smiled, putting the finishing touches on the Decepticon symbol. It glowed red-hot on her guardian’s chassis, a searing image that branded her mind. Nova closed her eyes and the symbol was still there before her; an image she knew she could never forget.

“Give me strength,” she whispered to herself, closing her eyes to shut out the symbol. But it seemed to be burned into her eyelids, and would not go away.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Orion followed Megatron silently into the bridge, looking around at the various Vehicon troopers milling about below him. The bridge was poorly lit, and the young archivist found himself wondering why everything in the warship had been so dark and gloomy thus far.

 _Probably a means of conserving energy,_ he said to himself.

Megatron, his footsteps thudding as he led Orion to the end of the bridge, began to speak, completely unaware of the listening ear in the ducts above the enormous viewing screen in the room.

“You have been a captive of the Autobots, and locked in stasis for quite some time, Orion,” the warlord explained sympathetically. “Long enough for us to be in an exodus on another world.”

“Exodus?” Orion inquired, joining him. “Why?”

Megatron peered down at him. “Because the warlord Ratchet’s careless actions led to this.”

A button was pressed, and suddenly, an image shot up onto the screen.

An image of a planet, metal, pockmarked, and clearly dead, met Orion’s eyes as he turned his gaze from Megatron to the picture in front of him. From her vantage point above, Nova could see all too clearly the expression of horror that appeared on her guardian’s face.

“Cybertron,” he gasped, and his shock melted into the most angered, hate-filled look Nova had ever seen on Optimus’ face. It frightened her. Megatron’s words were full of poison, and it was beginning to work upon the young clerk.

Presently, under Megatron’s glances at the poor Vehicon operating the slideshow, full-length, high-definition images of Cybertron’s war-scarred landscape, filled with burned and blackened buildings and darkened skies, scrolled across the screen.

“I cannot believe Ratchet capable of such horrors,” Orion said in astonishment.

“Yes,” hissed Megatron, “And to think that the Doctor of Doom’s mad quest for power continues.”

He turned to Orion, launching into a web of lies which made Nova clench her fists in indignation inside her ventilation duct space, above the scene unfolding.

“His marauders pursued us to this planet’s orbit. We feel its species is not ready to behold us.” Megatron turned his back and folded his hands behind him, walking away from the screen as he continued. “But we have resolved to protect this world from the same tragedy which was dealt to our own.”

Nova sighed.

“One question, Megatron,” Optimus stopped him. “Why are we called Decepticons?”

The warlord hesitated. “Another craven Autobot scare tactic,” he said finally, moving his arms in a dramatic flourish. “The name was meant to demonize us; instead, we wear it as a badge of honor, for if speaking the truth is deception, then we are gladly guilty.”

Satisfied, Optimus nodded.

“Now please, Orion,” Megatron said to the curious new addition, turning to leave as Nova scurried along the duct after him. “There will be plenty of time for catching up. You must rest.”

“Megatron,” Oprimus’ voice swelled with passion in the room as Megatron stopped again. “I will do my part to stop Ratchet’s unspeakable crimes of aggression.” He clenched his fist. “This I vow, with all my Spark.”

“Oh no,” Nova sighed as the door closed behind Megatron. Optimus had literally signed his Spark over to his sworn enemy.

She could even hear Megatron’s comment to Soundwave outside, coming in a broken, airy tone through the ventilation ducts.

“It seems we have successfully achieved control of Orion’s Spark,” he said, amused at the delicious irony. “Now, to put his mind to work. Have you sanitized the data core?”

There was no response, but Nova assumed Soundwave nodded, for Megatron continued in a pleased voice. “Excellent. Our new archivist will require unlimited access to our files. It would be … _counterproductive_ for him to stumble upon any sensitive information.”

“I’ve got to find out what Megatron’s after,”Nova told herself. “I can’t let Optimus be deceived any more.”

 _No,_ her brain replied. _You just can’t let him be killed. That’s the mission._

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Later, Nova had curled up in a ball inside another duct. This time, it was located in the floor, underanother room to which Optimus had been taken, a room like a miniature office of sorts. Since she was at an intersection of the ducts underneath the floor, not only could she keep an eye on Optimus as he worked on the central computer of the office, but also she could listen almost perfectly to anyone speaking in the outside hallway.

Now, Megatron was conversing with Knock Out just outside the room, offering an explanation of the task to which he had put Orion.

“When we stormed the Iacon Hall of Records in the waning days of the war for Cybertron, we acquired highly classified files. Files written in Autobot codes which we had been unable to decipher.”

“Autobot codes — which the archivist Orion Pax should have no trouble cracking,” Knock Out realized with a smile in his voice. “Considering what’s at stake, shouldn’t we beef up the security around here?”

After a pause, Megatron responded in an amicable voice, “Knock Out, I believe that Orion will perform most effectively if he does not feel threatened or confined in any way. However, it is no coincidence that Orion’s work-station is located in direct proximity to the Energon storage vault…”

“…Which is under constant surveillance,” Knock Out finished. “Well played.”

 _I knew it,_ Nova thought to herself. _There’s always a catch. But at least I know the security cameras are outside the office._

“I believe it is high time I pay our industrious new archivist a visit,” Megatron said, his footsteps thudding toward the door as Knock Out remained behind. Nova scrambled forward in the shaft to listen as the door slid open, granting the warlord access.

“Orion! How fares Project Iacon?”

Without turning away from the computer in front of him, his fingers typing unceasingly, Optimus responded, “I am a bit rusty, I fear. I’ve only managed to decode three entries.”

“And what do these entries comprise?” Megatron inquired expectantly, still standing a distance away.

“They were logged by Autobot archivists during the war,” was the response. “After I entered stasis. My only knowledge of their contents so far … is that they are coordinates.” He turned from the computer and gestured to a globe of the Earth which appeared in the center of the room. “Targeting locations on this very planet.”

As Megatron looked over his work, Orion continued, and Nova noticed that the clerk was markedly submissive in his manner; every time he met Megatron’s eyes, he broke contact and looked at the ground, as if unsure of himself.

_That’s not the Optimus I know._

“I surmise that they could indicate hiding places for vessels, shuttled from Cybertron… for safekeeping,” he said.

“Such as … historical documents, or cultural artifacts?” Megatron wondered. Nova could tell he was searching for something deeper, a suspicion Orion confirmed with his next comment.

“My greatest fear would be weapons of mass destruction,” the oblivious archivist said. “Hidden away, for later use.”

Megatron’s mouth curved into an evil, secret smile, and Nova knew exactly what the Decepticon was after. Concealing his satisfaction, he turned and faced Orion in false good fellowship.

“All the more reason it is essential that we do everything in our power to keep said vessels from Autobot reach,” he said, placing a hand on Optimus’ shoulder. “We are fortunate to have you on our side, Orion Pax.”

Nova nearly kicked the vent walls.

Then, Megatron turned as if to exit the room, but the archivist ventured to ask another question.

“Lord Megatron?”

Nova winced at the words coming out of his mouth, but reminded herself that he didn’t mean it … he didn’t _know._

Orion continued at Megatron’s hesitance. “I am puzzled by one particular finding. I have discovered several historic references to Starscream as your second-in-command.” He pressed a button, and an image of the skinny, winged Decepticon flew up on the screen. “Yet I have not seen him aboard the ship.”

Nova almost laughed aloud at the expression on Megatron’s face, and he indeed seemed to be at a loss for a clever response, for he only turned to the archivist and said lamely: “Sadly, Commander Starscream is dead.”

With that, he turned and left the room, giving no further opportunity for Orion to ask any more intrusive questions, and Nova shook her head in disgust in her hiding place. Everyone knew that Starscream had deserted the Decepticons after being held captive by the Autobots. Now he was aligned with no side, and no one had seen or heard of him for months now.

Orion turned and further inspected the computer screen, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Shaking her head, the half-spark could hardly believe he was that oblivious, but then again, she realized, Optimus was now as innocent as they come. She glanced up at the slits in the grate above her head determinedly. There had to be some way to make her presence known to him.

Quietly, Nova extended her wrist-blade out a couple of inches and wedged it under the grate, sliding it upward and outward; moving it little by little.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

The grate had nearly been shifted out of position when Nova heard something. A strange screeching noise, one that she had heard before, reverberated down through the ducts to meet her twitching ears.

“Arcee?” Nova whispered in disbelief. She listened closer. “That’s Arcee.”

Abandoning the grate, she scurried down the length of the ventilation shaft as fast as she could move, towards the place where she had heard the noise. Sure enough, in a hallway outside the room where Optimus worked, the sound of blaster fire and clashing metal spurred her onward, so that she was in a half-run, half-crawl sort of crouch as she sped through the duct.

The noise of battle got closer and closer, until Nova leaped backward as something fell onto the top of the grate with a _crash_. Shocked, she looked closer. It was a dead Vehicon body.

“No need for secrecy if the Autobots are here,” she muttered, forming her blaster and aiming at the grate. In three blasts, enough of a hole was made so that she could crawl out and take a look at her surroundings, which she did, ducking behind the corpse of the Decepticon for cover.

Before her was indeed Arcee, leaping and slashing one Vehicon after another, laying waste to all Decepticons which stood in her way, and one of them she had pinned to the ground with her blades extended as she yelled, “Where’s Optimus?!”

The Vehicon struggled to break free, but did not respond as she raised her arm in the air threateningly. “Answer me!!”

The trooper, instead of answering, looked behind him up into the hallway that joined theirs, from which spouted an entire unit of Vehicon troopers, their blasters alive with red fire.

Without hesitating, Arcee lifted up the trooper she had been interrogating as a temporary shield, and then was instantly among them, dodging and jumping and blasting and slashing, even running over a Vehicon in her motorcycle mode, popping a wheelie off of his head as she sped off to look for her leader.  
“Arcee!” Nova called after her, “Arcee!! Wait!”

But she was gone, her red taillight disappearing around the corner as she revved up her engine and vanished from sight, leaving Nova alone with several dozen Vehicon carcasses.

“I’ve got to get back to Optimus,” she told herself, diving back into the duct. “Maybe if he sees her; speaks to her again, his memories will come back.”

She slipped through the shafts even faster now, crawling with purpose through the dark tunnel back to her guardian.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Orion, standing at his computer and typing in several decoding algorithms, suddenly cocked his head at the increasingly loud noise of laser fire, zapping outside his locked door in erratic bursts. Curious, the young archivist abandoned his research and approached the door. As it slid open, he placed one hand on the wall and leaned out to look into the hallway, while Nova, wedged into a crevice beside the opening, smiled and blew off her smoking blaster. Her decoy had worked.

Two Vehicons sprinted past the opening, one of them pausing to speak with the clerk.

“Orion, please return to your station,” he ordered. “Lord Megatron’s orders.”

Nova was pleased to hear Orion step out of the door after the Vehicons had left, too inquisitive to leave this event alone.

She ducked back into the ventilation shaft as she heard the sound of blaster fire coming closer. Even though Arcee had managed to infiltrate the ship, she knew that the two-wheeler was alone, and Nova did not want to compromise her own position until she was sure all other options had been exhausted, _especially_ since her eyes had caught a flicker of movement at the end of the hallway. Soundwave was on the move.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Arcee, her way now clear, dodged the last of the shots fired at her by the Vehicon troopers and sped as fast as her motor would allow down the hallway, revving into a wheelie in defiance of Soundwave, who had planted his feet at the hall junction before her and stood in silence, contemplating her arrival.

Optimus was here, she knew. He had to be. And no one, not even Soundwave, could stop her. Not now.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Orion, approaching Soundwave from the left as the hallways joined, heard a strange, revving sort of noise; something that was vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t think of how. This only motivated him to continue walking towards the Decepticon communications expert, determined to figure out what exactly was going on.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Soundwave was aware. He was aware of everything. He had seen the impudent little blue Autobot, streaking at him at an impossible speed from in front of him, and he had seen also the nosy Prime, walking at a slower pace from his left. Megatron had ordered him to get rid of the two-wheeler, and to do it discreetly, without Orion’s knowledge. To any other Decepticon, this seemed like an impossible task, but Soundwave was not any other Decepticon.

He knew how to deal with the motorcycle. He knew exactly how.

The coordinates for the Groundbridge he wanted to make appeared as beeping numbers on his screen-like face, and the second — the very splintered second that the two-wheeled Autobotwould have slammed into him with the full force of her tiny body, the portal blossomed in front of her and swallowed Arcee up, dumping her immediately into a forlorn location in the Arctic, just as Orion Pax rounded the corner.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“I heard a commotion,” Orion said to Soundwave, hoping to elicit a response. But the silent Decepticon merely looked at him once over his shoulder and walked away down the hall, leaving Orion as puzzled as he had been before.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Back in the ‘office room,’ Nova silently berated herself for letting Arcee get away without even seeing that Optimus was alive as she worked her knife further under the grate and slid it away from its holder. The other Autobots had no way of knowing if either of them were even on the warship, but it was an immense comfort to know that they were actively seeking the truth.

“Just like the clueless archivist I find myself with,” she muttered as Orion looked up from his computer.

Suddenly, as she moved the grate out of its hole and made to lay it on the ground, it slipped out of her fingers and hit the metal floor with a clattering _crash!_

_Nova, you slagging klutz!_

“Who is there?” Orion asked.

Silence.

Inside the dark cavity, Nova pressed herself against the wall of the duct and looked up through the opening the grate had left, listening to Optimus’ footsteps coming closer.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Kneeling by the damaged vent in the ground, the archivist peered down into the hole.

“Come out,” he said gently. “Do not be afraid.”

A small sound came from the hole in the floor, and Orion saw something move in the vent. He could tell the person, whoever it might be, was of very small proportions.

“What reason have you to hide?” he asked. “I promise, I will not harm you.”

“Are — are you alone?” A quiet, feminine voice responded to his vow.

Orion looked around. “I am,” he told her. “Please, show yourself, that I may know who you are.”

“All right,” the voice said, and the clerk was astonished at what he saw emerge from the ventilation shaft.

It was a little … _person_ , clad in Cybertronian armor which glinted in the dim light. She clambered up through the hole and stood before him, rubbing her arms sheepishly.

“I remember you,” Orion said, remaining on his knee. “From the tunnels. You are with the Autobots.”

“Well, yes, I am,” the thing said. “But before you jump to conclusions, let me tell you I’m not an enemy. I only came to talk with you.”

The archivist cocked his head as he looked at her armor. “Are you a Minicon?”

She seemed confused. “What? Oh, the armor.”

Suddenly, her armor began to shift and slide away, beginning at the feet and ending with the head, so that Orion saw lastly the face of the creature, a flesh-colored, strange-looking face, with a short braid of hair trailing down her back and glittering green-brown eyes.

“I’m a human, one of the people who inhabit this planet,” she said. “My … my name is Nova.”

“I am Orion Pax,” Orion Pax said, offering a forefinger to her.

She shook it. “I know who you are.”

Orion’s eyes widened. “You said that you were not an enemy. You mean Lord Megatron no harm?”

A pained look ran over her face.

“He’s no lord of mine,” she answered in a low voice. “But no, I don’t intend to wage war with Megatron at the moment, unless he tries to hurt you.” She looked up at the computer. “Could we talk over there? If someone comes in, and they see you kneeling on the floor instead of at your work, it could rouse suspicions.”

“Of course,” he replied, offering her his hand after a moment of hesitation. “Do you …”

“Yes.” Nova stepped onto his hand. “Thanks.”

“Now,” he began as he let her step onto the glass platform. “What did you wish to speak to me about? And how did you know my name?”

“I once knew you, a long time ago.”

“How is that possible? I have never been to this planet.”

“I know. The fact is, Optim — I mean, _Orion_ , I am about to say something that you won’t believe, but I want you to hear me out.”

He nodded, waiting patiently.

Taking a deep breath, Nova was about to launch into her tale, but was interrupted by the sound of the hatch sliding open.

Orion turned around quickly, and Nova immediately flattened herself to the surface of the keypad and dropped to the floor, ducking behind her guardian’s foot.

Into the room walked the last person either of them expected to see, four large Energon cubes stacked in his skinny arms.

“Starscream?!” Nova whispered to herself.

The cubes had initially hidden Orion and Nova from Starscream’s view, but once the rogue Decepticon had gotten his bearings and realized who stood before him, he gasped in surprise.

“No!” he said in astonishment. “Optimus Prime?!”

Dropping the cubes, the former lieutenant raised his hands and aimed his arm-rockets directly at the helpless archivist, who froze in his tracks.

“Please,” Orion said, raising his hand quickly. “I mean no harm.”

“Oh?!” Starscream fired back, his rockets still trained on the Prime. “Then … what are you _doing_ here?!”

“Research,” replied he. “For Lord Megatron.”

Starscream did not lower his arms. “Is this … some kind of _joke_?”

“I do not understand,” Orion said. The innocence on his face was indisputable.

Astonished, Starscream realized that the Prime really did not intend to fight, and he lowered his blasters in shock.

“And why did you call me … Optimus Prime?” inquired the archivist.

“Uh … Why wouldn’t I?” Starscream asked, still skeptical.

“Because my name is Orion Pax,” the clerk responded. “I am far from being a Prime.”

The rogue Decepticon glanced at the new Decepticon insignia on the shoulder of his former enemy, and scrambled for a response.

“Uh, you reminded me of someone I once knew, that’s all,” he lied quickly.

Cautiously, Nova started to emerge from behind Optimus’ foot, but immediately as Starscream caught sight of her, he raised his blaster again. “What?! We have vermin here too?!”

Optimus reached down to shield her with his hand. “Do not fire,” he said in a supplicating manner. “She does not mean any harm.”

He looked at the rogue Decepticon silently until Starscream deactivated his blaster and they all stood quietly again.

“You are Starscream,” Orion observed.

“Yes…” he replied, his face twisted in disbelief.

“Lord Megatron told me you had been — terminated.”

Starscream smirked. “Lord Megatron says many things, only some of which are true.”

Nova raised her eyebrows in agreement, but the archivist found this information hard to accept.

“You … do not suggest that our leader would speak falsehoods?” he questioned incredulously.

Starscream let loose a cackle of amusement. “Ah ha ha! Oh, you truly are being kept in the dark, aren’t you?”

Nova frowned up at the Decepticon, the expression on her face enough to convince the rogue that it would be unwise to lie to her friend, who begged for answers.

“You speak in many riddles, Starscream,” Orion said desperately. “Please, tell me what it is that you know!”

“And … in return?” The greedy Decepticon could not let an opportunity like this pass up.

Suddenly, the door clanked open again, and there stood the two Vehicons who had apprehended Optimus before.

“Starscream!” They whipped out their blasters. “Surrender!”

Shrieking, Starscream ducked behind Orion in a panic, using him as a living shield as the archivist reacted to the Vehicons. Nova scuttled away, sliding into the vent shaft in the floor once again and disappearing into the darkness.

“Hold your fire!” Orion said, then felt his back being pressed down by the Decepticon behind him as Starscream transformed into his jet form and blasted out of the room, his afterburner smoke lingering in the dark air.

“Remain in the lab,” one of the Vehicons ordered as the disappearing jet rounded the corner.

“But I—”

“Lord Megatron’s orders.”

The door locked behind them as they departed, and Orion was again left alone.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Sounds of laser fire and distant explosions reverberated again through the walls as Nova pushed the grate out of its spot and rejoined her friend.

“Are you all right?” she inquired.

“I am fine,” Orion said, a strange expression on his face. Nova could tell he did not know what to make of all this.

“Sorry I left. No one’s supposed to know I’m here,” she said, looking up at him.

“It is … it is all right,” he said, obviously conflicted. “I do not know what to make of all this.”

“Well, for once, Starscream was telling the truth,” Nova replied quietly. “Believe it or not, Megatron isn’t the paragon of nobility he’s made himself out to be.”

“I am slightly confused. Why did Megatron inform me that Starscream had been terminated?” asked the archivist, kneeling down to lift her up in his hand again.

“Megatron’s not getting his stories straight,” said the half-spark. “He’s trying to cover everything up.”

Optimus tilted his head. “He may have been unaware that Starscream was alive. The two of them have a rather … unfriendly relationship. Perhaps he was mistaken.”

She sighed. “I can see why you might think that way, and I know you want to believe the best about your friend, Orion. But Megatron is lying. He does horrible, awful things. Look, if I can just show you …” Nova leapt down to the computer, placed her hand on the main keypad and scrolled through the various data files of the warship.

“It’s not here,” she sighed after a few minutes. “Soundwave must have deleted the footage. Megatron’s old war tapes used to be in here.” Nova put her hands on her hips. “Well, that’s great. He erased the surveillance feeds from my capture, too. You have absolutely no evidence that I exist at all.”

“I do not understand,” Orion said confusedly. “Both you and Starscream have told me that Megatron is falsifying information, but he … showed me _Cybertron_.”

Nova looked at the ground sadly. “I’m sorry, Orion. What you saw — those images of your planet — they’re real. Cybertron has fallen. But Ratchet's not responsible for these atrocities — Megatron is. You have to believe me! Right now, Ratchet’s working as hard as he can to find you, so that he can get you out of this … this pit of lies!” She clenched her fists in frustration and put a hand to her head. “Oh, how can I prove it to you?”

The human thought for a second, her chin in her hand, then snapped her fingers and looked up at the archivist.

“All right, this is a bit of a long shot, but I figure once Megatron finds out Starscream was here, speaking to you, he’ll come and ask you about it. Don’t tell him _anything_ Starscream said, but ask Megatron what you asked me. Ask him why he told you Starscream was dead, and see if he gives you a valid response. Then you can decide if he’s the one you want to follow or not. I’ll stay in the vents. If you decide to follow Megatron, you can give up my position immediately and I will allow myself to be arrested as a subordinate to the Autobots.”

She ducked her head for a moment, thinking about the danger that that situation could bring. “What happens after that is not up to me.”

Orion Pax was silent for a moment.

“Very well,” replied he. “I do not yet know who to believe, but I will put your words to the test. In return, you must agree to stay with me afterwards, if you are able.”

“I’ve never left you before, Orion. I never will.” The half-spark jumped off of the computer table and slid under the grate. “I’ll be under here. Be careful, okay?”

He nodded, and she quietly replaced the grate just as the former Prime turned back to the computer.

“Orion.” The door slid open, just as Nova had predicted, and Megatron thudded in. “I am so sorry for the recent commotion. You were not in any way harmed, were you?”

“No, Lord Megatron,” he responded. “But why did you tell me that Starscream was dead?”

“Because he is dead to our cause,” the warlord responded, brushing past the archivist pompously and folding his hands behind his back. “Starscream was my most trusted lieutenant, until he turned traitor and joined the Autobots.” He turned back to the levelheaded Orion with an air of disgust. “Never have I witnessed a more profound act of deceit!”

Orion stared at him.

Megatron paused and continued in a voice that dripped with concern. “He did not … do or say anything troubling to you?”

“No.”

Orion held his gaze.

After a short pause, Megatron withdrew his searching stare. “Good. Perhaps it’s best to forget the entire incident, and return to your project.”

“As you wish, my lord,” Orion said as the door shut behind Megatron with a snap.

Within the tunnel, Nova breathed a sigh of relief. The Optimus she knew had had enough compassion and understanding to ensure her safety.

Suddenly, however, she heard a sinister voice at the end of the hallway. Curious to hear what was being said, she crept silently through the darkness of the tunnel and under the various light cracks which beamed down from the ceiling, until the noise of Megatron stopped her in her tracks.

“Orion was never very adept at the art of deception,” he said to someone, probably Soundwave, judging from the lack of response. “I made a mistake not terminating Starscream while I had the opportunity — a mistake I _do not_ intend to make again!”

“He knows,” she said to herself. “He knows Optimus lied!”

This time, she did kick the vent. _I knew it was too easy!_

“Nova?” Another voice called her name from the end of the shaft. “Are you there?”

She scrambled back to the grate which she had removed and emerged again into the workroom. “I’m here, Orion,” she said, leaning her elbows on the floor as her legs dangled down into the duct. “Why didn’t you give me away to Megatron?”

“I have decided that, until further evidence proves otherwise, I must keep my true friends by my side, and search very carefully for the truth before I address him as Lord Megatron again,” he said quietly, pulling her out from the hole and holding her in the palm of his hand.

He studied the half-spark curiously. “Why did Starscream call you a vermin?”

“It’s a long story,” she sighed as he dropped her onto the keypad once again. “But, to cut it short, I was infused with Energon from a young age by a very evil man who wanted to turn me into a super-weapon so he could destroy all of his enemies,” Nova said sadly, rolling up the sleeve of her sweatshirt. “That’s where these scars came from. That’s where this armor came from. And that’s where the names ‘vermin’ and ‘half-spark’ came from.”

She looked up at him. “But, a few months ago, I was rescued by someone very special. His name was Optimus Prime, and since he found me, I’ve never left his side.” She looked at him. “It was you, Orion.”

“But I am not a Prime,” he protested. “I am nothing but a simple archivist, confused and unsure of my own will. How — how could I be the rescuer of anyone?”

The human cocked her head. “You saved me from Megatron, didn’t you? You had the opportunity to stand up for those weaker than yourself, and you took it like the Prime I know you to be.”

He still stared at the ground in uncertainty, but Nova placed a hand on his arm.

“Look. You’re an archivist,” she said. “You know how to research. If anyone can find out the truth, it’s you. You might as well try.”

Orion looked at the computer, then at the half-spark as he made a decision. “Very well. I will try.”

“Good.” Nova climbed up his arm and sat on his shoulder, and again Orion felt, strangely, that her presence was vaguely familiar … and rather reassuring … as his fingertips hovered over the keyboard.

“Okay,” he exhaled, beginning to type. “Optimus … Prime.”

The only result that came up was an image of a Cybertronian Nova had never seen before.

He exhaled again, nervously, as he began to read the biography attached to the image and Nova placed a comforting hand on his neck. “Ah. Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobot invaders.” He looked at the image again. “I reminded Starscream of _him?_ And Lord Megatron said Ratchet was the Autobot leader.” The archivist frowned. “Someone is not telling the truth.”

“It could be an encrypted file,” Nova suggested. “Megatron told Soundwave to purge the data core before you started working.”

He nodded. “I will try to bypass it.” Orion began to type again, and Nova rested her head against the inside of his shoulder in fatigue, for she had not slept in a while.

“My apologies,” Orion said, hesitating. “Are you injured?”

“Just recovering from an exposure to Dark Energon,” she said wearily. “You won’t remember it, but we found you in the body of Unicron when Megatron bridged you here.”

“Unicron?” The archivist shook his head in disbelief. “There is so much I do not understand about your words.”

“Don’t worry,” she said, nestling into the familiar space on his shoulder. “You don’t know it yet, but you’re going to be my best friend someday.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻


	2. Orion Pax Pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Nova and Orion's adventure aboard the Decepticon warship draws to a close, and the Autobots make a tremendous effort to bring everybody home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so here is the next chapter on Tuesday as promised! It's a bit shorter than the last one, but hey. 
> 
> Thanks so much to LiagibaSiYseehc and NottheBankofAmerica for leaving kudos and such sweet, sweet comments! It made my day, truly. 
> 
> Funny note about college -- it isn't like homeschool at all! You have to actually go meet people and do stuff, and make decisions, and you get homework and you have a room...  
> Okay so maybe it is like homeschool. Sort of. Like a really big homeschool. 
> 
> But ours has a lot of restrictions because of the COVID and stuff -- they don't want me going around and "diseasing" people, so we've all got to adjust to some pretty weird things. I guess I'm just so thankful I get to physically go to college in the first place! 
> 
> This sounds so cheesy, but if you really take the time and think about it, there's a lot to be thankful for -- there really is -- and if you're at home or at work reading this, I hope you know that I'm thankful for you guys, and that writing for y'all is a big part of my life!
> 
> So there's my two cents. Have a great week, and don't ever let the bad days get you down.

Nova was jolted awake many hours later at a muttered wondering from the archivist.

“Why would the Decepticon archives be so heavily encrypted?” Orion asked, his face twisted in confusion.

Nova remained silent, watching as he tried again, typing in a different sequence of commands to crack the encryption, and the same image of the strange Cybertronian who was supposed to be Optimus Prime appeared on the screen once again. Orion clenched his jaw in determination, and tried one last time.

Suddenly, in a response to his keyed commands, the image was covered with a grid of squares, and the colors and lines within those squares changed and shifted, forming an entirely different image— one both Nova and Orion recognized. The strange Cybertronian now looked exactly like the guardian Nova remembered.

The archivist gasped in wonderment. “How could I possibly be … Optimus Prime?!”

Nova decided to say nothing as he gazed upon the image in disbelief, until his head swiveled around to look at her and he fired a question.

“Is it true? What I see before me…is it _true?_ ” he demanded, his eyes wide.

She nodded.

He looked up at the screen again, his shoulders shaking slightly as he leaned against the table for support.

“What do I do now?” Orion asked her, watching as she slid down to the computer tablet and formed her armor. Nova did not hesitate for an instant.

“Just do what’s right,” she said simply.

“I am unsure of what that means anymore,” he replied, obviously stressed.

“Hey.” She put a hand on his forearm. “Listen. It’ll be all right. No matter what happens — even if Megatron comes in here and impales me on his sword — I am going to stay right here with you. I promise.”

Orion was silent for a moment, then glanced at her with resolve in his eyes. “No. You tell me to do what is right, and yet you ask me to allow my friend to remain in peril for my sake?”

“Well, yes,” she shrugged. “That’s what you’d do for me.”

Without warning, heavy footsteps thudded outside the door.

“It’s him!” Nova gasped.

“Right now, I must do for you what cannot be done for myself,” Orion said, erasing the image on the screen and pointing to the area underneath the computer. “Hide there, until it is safe.”

“But I—”

“Nova,” he said, locking eyes with her. “Trust me.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

So it was that Megatron found Optimus at the computer, apparently hard at work.

“Orion,” he said rather probingly as he paced behind the archivist, like a shark looking for the kill. “Have you made progress with Project Iacon?”

Nova could see that Optimus’ eyes were shifting back and forth as he looked at the computer, readying himself to face Megatron.

“It seems I am a bit rustier than I thought,” he excused himself lamely.

“Might that have anything to do with the nature of your after-hours research?” Megatron probed, coming forward and standing at Orion’s side. “Did I fail to mention that we would be tracking your activities?”

He pressed a button on the computer keypad, and immediately an image of the decoded Optimus Prime flashed up on the screen. Nova gasped.

They had been found out.

Orion looked down at Nova, and decided it was time for a confrontation.

“Why does history portray me as siding with the Autobot aggressors? And why did Starscream call me a Prime? I must know!” he pleaded in desperation. “Who _am I?_ ”

“You are my clerk,” Megatron snapped. “Now get back to work and decode that database!”

Orion stood there silently for a moment, hesitating, then made another bold decision as he looked up at the images of himself on the screen.

“No. I would rather erase my findings than make them available for your questionable use,” he said, and pressed a button on the keypad. Immediately, all the data dissipated and was replaced by the Decepticon logo, indicating that his efforts had all been deleted.

With Megatron glaring at his back, Orion turned away and began to walk towards Nova, but was stopped by a low chuckle rising from the depths of the Lord Decepticon.

The warlord moved his finger and pressed the same button again, and Nova was shocked to see every single piece of data return to life. None of it had been erased.

“Did you really think that we wouldn’t be tracking _and_ documenting every iota of your valuable research?” he asked.

Soundwave chose that time to step into the room, an image of the war-scarred Cybertron illuminated on his face screen. A signal’s location pinged persistently on the globe.

“One of our sentries was activated?” Megatron inquired. “On Cybertron?”

Nova nearly jumped for joy. The Autobots had made it! Jack was probably using the Key to access Vector Sigma right now. She and Optimus had to hold out just a little longer.

“You told me … our planet … was _dead,_ ” Orion said in indignation.

“That is beside the point!” Megatron snarled. “Guards!”

Two Vehicons entered the room as Megatron approached Orion and spoke in a sinister voice.

“You will finish Project Iacon by the time I return …” He unsheathed his sword and held it up to the archivist’s neck, so that Orion could see his own terrified reflection in its luster, “…or I will carve out your Spark before your very _eyes_!”

He left the room with Soundwave, heading for the Spacebridge. Nova looked up nervously from her hiding place underneath the computer at the feet of the Vehicon troopers standing between her and Optimus.

“Jack, if there was ever a time for you to show up on your motorcycle with a magical memory-returning Key-card in your hand, it’s right now,” she whispered to the floor.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“No one told you to stop, Pax,” the Vehicon growled, activating his blaster and aiming it at Orion’s back as his partner did the same. Hesitating, Orion turned from the screen and addressed them directly.

“I believe that Megatron intends to use whatever he finds in Project Iacon to harm the Autobots. Please,” he entreated, dropping his hands to his sides. “We can warn them.”

For response, the Vehicon brought his fist up and dealt a savage uppercut to Optimus’ face, making sparks fly into the air. Then, he threw down his elbow and bashed the archivist in the middle of his back, bringing Orion to his knees while the second Vehicon kicked him in the side. Then, Orion’s eyes were greeted with the triangular barrel of the Vehicon’s blaster as he raised his head up from the ground.

“Don’t move, Pax,” the Vehicon said.

All of a sudden, out from under the shadow of the computer darted the form of Nova’s armored body, flashing and glinting in the light as she engaged the nearest Vehicon, leaping up and clinging to his face with a guttural cry.

“Don’t you touch him!”

“Nova! Wait!” Orion cried out.

But the half-spark, trying with all her might to defend her guardian, did not heed his warning. She persisted in slashing and slamming the Vehicon with her blades, delivering quite a few dents to his head and causing his blaster to light up and go haywire.

“Hey!” The second Vehicon grabbed his partner’s arm and shoved the erratic blaster towards the ground. “Point that somewhere else!”

The first Vehicon reached up with his free hand and yanked the exhausted human off of his face, grasping her arms in his clenched fist and laughing at the sight of her legs kicking above the ground.

“Heh. Hold it still,” his partner said, taking aim at the dangling half-spark. The first Vehicon nodded and seized her legs as well, pulling her body taut between his hands and holding her out to the weapon of his companion.

“No!” Orion leaped up from the ground and tried to push the blaster out of the way, but he was too late. The laser had fired, inches away from Nova’s chest, and had caused her whole body to jerk as the shot exploded on her armor with full impact. She cried out in pain, and in that moment, the archivist thought he had never heard a more horrible sound in all the world.

Orion looked on in shock as the limp form of the human was tossed aside like a dead animal, and her mouth made no sound; her body made no reaction as she hit the ground, rolled away, and lay still.

“No…”

The first Vehicon slammed him in the face, bringing his gaze away from the half-spark and up to his assailants. “Still care about the humans, huh, Pax?”

He kicked him under the ribs savagely, and his friend contributed on the other side with a punch to his back.

“Let the beating begin,” he said with a chuckle.

They kept exchanging blows back and forth, making sparks fly from Orion’s unresisting body until he could not even push himself up on his arms for the pain.

The Vehicons paused in their torturing and let the humble archivist crawl a little ways towards Nova, trying to reach her, hoping against hope that she may have survived.

“You have to admit, it’s a privilege to stomp the former leader of the Autobots,” one of the Vehicons said in amusement.

Reaching towards the smoking human, inches away from his hand, Orion stopped at those words and rolled over on his back, looking dazedly at the images of Optimus Prime on the computer screen, then at the faces of the Vehicons who stood above him.

Before he could get up off the ground, however, the fist of the right Vehicon slammed into his eyes, once, twice, eliciting teeth-gritting groans of pain from Orion as he backed up against the wall in an effort to avoid their attacks. Kicks, punches, violent blows rained down upon the weakened archivist like hailstones, and he covered his face with his arms as he protested.

“No.”

_Crash!_

“Please.”

_Crash!_

_“_ Stop! _Enough!_ ”

With this last cry, Orion’s hands transformed into the blasters he had long been without, and the Vehicons stepped back in shock.

“I — I’m armed?” Orion was incredulous as he looked at his hands. Recovering, the troopers opened up their own blasters and fired upon the clerk, who ducked his head, screwed his eyes shut, and activated his own weapons, firing without looking.

There was a silence, and Orion opened his eyes to see the smoldering bodies of the two Vehicons lying dead in front of him.

He looked at his hands in a new light, astonished at what he had done, and suddenly, the archivist of Iacon came up with a plan.

Orion got to his feet and walked over to the half-spark, lifting her up from the ground and holding her in his hands. Again, this scene seemed familiar, as if she had been like this before, and he had also been at a loss to know what could be done. He prodded her in the back.

To his relief, her head jerked up as she sucked in a lungful of air and began to breathe again, her hands splayed out on his palm as she looked up in his face.

“What … what did you do?”

“I — killed them,” he said in a strange voice. “I wish there had been another way.”

She nodded and let her head fall back in exhaustion. “I do, too.”

“Can you remain functional until I bring you home?” Orion asked concernedly.

“Home,” she breathed, and her head rolled to the side as she fainted dead away.

“I will take that answer as affirmative,” Orion said, clutching her in his hand as he hurried to the Groundbridge portal in the warship.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Megatron, the fallen bodies of the three Autobot warriors lying in sprawled forms around him, stood at the entrance to the blooming Spacebridge portal with his sword drawn, waiting for someone very important.

“Come, Arcee, so that I might end the lineage of the Primes for all time,” he muttered, his mouth curving into a venomous smile.

“I cannot allow that to happen, Megatron,” another, stronger voice rang out from behind him.

The warlord spun around to face the speaker, and there, silhouetted against the light of the Groundbridge portal behind him, a human cradled in the palm of his hand, stood Orion Pax, the only one left to defy his might. He placed the human on the ground gently as Megatron turned to face him.

“And why should you care, Orion Pax?” Megatron spat venomously, seeking to destroy his young opponents’ confidence. “You are no Prime.”

“That may be true,” he responded, looking down at Nova’s body next to him, “… or yet another deception, but this much I do know: My sympathies lie with the Autobots, and you are not one of us.”

He deployed his blades and held them up in front of his face valiantly, standing in the way of Megatron despite any fears he may have had, and charged at him with a cry. Orion brought his blades up and swept them down towards his enemy, but Megatron raised his own sword and blocked them both expertly, bringing his left fist around and ramming the Autobot in the gut, lifting Orion fully off the ground as he groaned in pain and hit the floor, his head bowed, his shoulders shaking.

“Your Spark may be in the right place, Orion,” Megatron said condescendingly, bringing his elbow up and crashing it into the back of the young warrior’s head, causing Orion to fall completely to the ground with a cry, “But you have much to learn before you can hope to ever again stand your ground against _me.”_ He pointed the tip of his blade down at Orion before raising his arm in the air for the killing stroke. “A moment sadly, which shall never come!”

Then, between the legs of the warrior above him and through the aching pangs shooting through his stomach, Orion saw a speeding figure shoot out of the Spacebridge in front of him. She leaped up in the air and used the acceleration of her body to drive herself into Megatron’s back, knocking him to the ground several yards away. Surprised, Orion got to his feet and looked into the Spacebridge again. Now there was another figure coming out of it, a human similar to Nova, only with strange armor and a domelike helmet fixed to his head. In his hands the boy held something he recognized: the Key to Vector Sigma, capable of containing the collective wisdom of the Primes themselves. To his eternal shock, the human came close and pointed the ancient relic at _him_.

“Are you … certain I am worthy?” Orion asked as the human held up the card to him.

“You have no idea,” the human responded, and a beam of radiant energy shot out of the Key, streaming into his chest and causing it to open. Orion, unresisting to this strange new occurrence, watched the energy pulse into his chest, surprised and vey humbled to be chosen for such an honor. And as the Key finished transferring the information, floating into the air and descending into his hand, the plates of the Autobot closed, and he was no longer Orion Pax, but Optimus Prime once more.

Megatron, having thrown Arcee and Ratchet aside, lunged at Optimus with his sword drawn, roaring in rage as he moved to finish off his sworn enemy.

“NO!”

The sword blade flashed in the air as it swept down to meet Optimus’ face, only one blow away from securing a victory for Megatron, and there was a loud _clang._

Megatron’s face took on a look of horror.

The leader of the Autobots had closed his hands around the blade, stopping it inches from his face with a thundering noise.

“Megatron …” Optimus Prime’s face-mask slid over his mouth as he brought his vengeful fist back — “Begone!!”

He brought his fist up into Megatron’s chin, knocking him back and causing sparks to fly.

Again and again, one by one, the Autobots and Nova got up off the ground and looked up at their leader, watching as Optimus struck Megatron with mighty blows, battering the Decepticon’s victory to shattered pieces as he inspired new hope in his friends. Optimus Prime had truly returned.

With the last powerful uppercut, Megatron flew up in the air and hit the wall so hard, it left a permanent dent, and Optimus got his bearings.

“Ratchet, how did we arrive here?” he inquired as the others rallied behind him.

“Long story, old friend.”

Nova came to stand next to Jack and gave him a huge hug.

“Jack, you have no idea how good it is to see my cousin’s face once again!”

“ _Base to Arcee,_ ” the com link thundered through the Spacebridge cave with Fowler’s voice. “ _We’re reading five Autobot life signals and a half-spark down there. Is Prime with you?”_

 _“_ And Jack,” Arcee confirmed.

“ _Yes!”_ Miko’s voice was the exuberant one, not surprisingly, and Nova could almost hear June’s sigh of relief at her son’s safety.

Megatron, still enraged, got to his feet and growled as the Autobots opened fire, seeing that a Groundbridge had appeared right next to them.

“It’s ours!” Arcee reported.

“Autobots, fall back,” Optimus ordered, still firing upon the Decepticon leader, allowing Arcee and Jack to be the first ones to go through with Ratchet.

“This time, he’s comin’ with us,” Bulkhead, the king of one-liners, said to Megatron. Bumblebee jumped through the bridge, then Bulkhead, then Nova, and last of all Optimus, leaping sideways through the portal just as it faded from view, and out of Megatron’s reach.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

The children were the first ones to greet the Autobots as they walked through the portal, Jack and Arcee first, to the relief of Mrs. Darby, then Bumblebee, Ratchet, and Bulkhead, to whom Miko and Raf ran with joyful tears glistening on their faces. Last of all, in a burst of radiant light and with a half-spark by his side, came the one they had worked and sacrificed and hoped to bring back: Optimus Prime.

Rafael came to look up at the warrior. “Optimus?”

“Hello, Rafael,” the Prime said to the littlest with a smile.

“The big guy remembers us!” Miko shouted, “Woohoo!”

Optimus looked at the new Decepticon symbol adorning his shoulder.

“Although it seems there is much I do not remember,” he said, and Nova placed a hand on his foot as Ratchet spoke.

“Optimus, it has truly been our darkest hour, but know this: from every indication, your Spark never ceased being that of an Autobot.”

“I agree,” Nova said with a smile as they all gathered around him. There was much work to do, but they would be doing it together, and that was what mattered most.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Nova sat with the kids in the human corner, all of them gathered around the stained old couch which still supported their weight. 

“So what happened while I was gone?” Nova asked. “How did you all take over the Decepticon Spacebridge?”

“We used Agent Fowler’s voice to distract the Cons at HQ,” said Miko. “And Raf handled a lot of techy stuff while Jack went to Cybertron with Arcee and recharged the Matrix into some tricked-out computer while the Scraplets tried to eat him. And there was this huge Insecticon they had to beat—”

“And after Arcee and Jack got back through, they had to fight Megatron, and you know the rest of the story better than we do,” Raf added.

“My cousin — the first human to go to Cybertron,” Nova beamed with great pride, clapping Jack on the shoulder. “From the looks of things, you did a fine job. I’m proud of you.”

“Yeah, so is everyone else on the planet,” Miko muttered. “Big deal.”

“I’m proud of _all_ of you, Miko,” Nova continued. “We couldn’t have gotten Optimus back from the warship without everyone’s help.”

The girl’s pigtails bobbed as her head shot up in excitement. “So tell us about what happened on the warship and about the Decepticon smackdowns already!”

Nova sighed. “Thank goodness everything’s back to normal.”

 _Normal for them, at_ least, she thought. _But after what I saw -- after what I watched Optimus go through -- can things ever be normal again?_

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave kudos and comments ... IF YOU DARE.
> 
> And yes, I know our epic EPIGRAPHS have been woefully absent, but they'll be back in the next installment for sure, don't worry!
> 
> Your friendly neighborhood writer  
> -swingaway


	3. Operation: Bumblebee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bumblebee loses his T-cog ... and Nova hunts down the ones who did it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Tuesday! !t's the day! It's the big day! It's the day where I finally get to do another chapter!
> 
> Okay, the Tuesday thing isn't working. I get bored too easily and end up getting excited to post another chapter on Saturday and stuff. So we're changing it up. From now on, you'll get these chapters hot off the press; as soon as I am inclined to post them, I will post them. SO BE READY. 
> 
> Thanks to the guests for leaving kudos, and thanks to LilithNightShade for creating this amazing fanart of Nova. I gotta say, I didn't imagine her that way, but it is an amazing speedpaint nonetheless :)
> 
> AND NOW
> 
> OUR EPIGRAPH
> 
> "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."  
> -Romans 12:21-
> 
> (A/N: pretty sure Optimus does this every day)

The rocks that Nova, Ratchet, and Optimus ducked behind bordered a large pit which staggered into the depths of the valley, and the place was crawling with Vehicon miners, under the supervision of someone much worse.

“Megatron?” Ratchet inquired.

“It seems you detected the ancient Autobot frequency precisely because it was unearthed,” Optimus speculated, as Nova lifted herself up between the stones to get a better look.

“Well, our backup shouldn’t be far behind,” Ratchet said, looking up at his leader, but Optimus got to his feet.

“Without knowing what the Decepticons have exhumed,” he said, forming his blasters, “I do not think I am willing to wait.”

He began to walk down the steep slope as Nova and Ratchet followed behind. The half-spark was indeed glad to have the old Optimus back, but she remembered fondly the time when she had gotten to know the humble and gentle Orion Pax.

 _He’s still humble, and very gentle,_ she reminded herself. _I like him the way he is._

As they reached the bottom of the rocky cliffs, she could see that the artifact that the Decepticons had unearthed was a sort of Cybertronian pot, into which Megatron now looked.

“Megatron!” Optimus challenged, his blaster pointed at the Decepticon warlord as he approached, with Ratchet and Nova following behind. “I cannot allow you to pilfer Autobot relics.”

“Not only are you misinformed, Optimus,” Megatron said, reaching into the pot as the Vehicons trained their blasters on the Autobots, “But I would strongly advise you to lower your weapons … unless you are in the mood for mutually assured destruction.” He held up the artifact so that they could see.

Nova thought at first that it was a Cybertronian salad plate, but she quickly sobered at the looks on Optimus and Ratchet’s faces.

“It can’t be!” Ratchet gasped.

Optimus looked in grave realization. “The Spark Extractor.”

Nova blinked. “Does it work as a half-spark extractor, too?”

Megatron held the disk out for a second more, allowing them to look upon it as long as they wished.

“Rather unassuming,” he said amusedly. “Yet capable of extracting every Spark within its radius.” He smiled at the plate. “And to think that _you_ led me straight to it, Optimus. Or should I say… _Orion Pax_ did.”

Standing beside Optimus with her own blasters cocked, Nova could see the effect Megatron’s venomous words had upon her guardian, and he was not finished.

“You should really have left your Decepticon shield intact,” Megatron taunted, glancing at the Autobot symbol engraved on Optimus’ shoulder. “For you have no idea how useful your code-breaking skills proved to be … during our all-too-brief time together.”

Her guardian’s eyebrows lowered as Megatron spoke into his comm-link. “Soundwave, send the Groundbridge.”

The Autobots looked up at the blooming portal as it materialized on the rocks above them, and Megatron snarled, “Engage them!”

Immediately, the blasters of the Vehicons rained down red fire upon them, beginning a firefight that echoed through the valley. Nova used the chaos to take down unsuspecting soldiers, leaping up onto their backs and slashing at their heads until they deactivated. While she detested killing any living being, in a self-defense situation she would do anything necessary.

Amidst the exchanging waves of laser fire, Optimus and Ratchet suddenly turned to look at the cliffs behind them, out of which sprang the vehicular form of a gold-and-black striped Camaro.

“Backup’s arrived!” Nova cheered, throwing up a fist to hail Bumblebee as he zipped in and out between the legs of the hapless Vehicons surrounding him.

“Bumblebee, secure the package,” ordered Optimus, looking at the still-open Groundbridge into which Megatron had disappeared along with the Spark Extractor.

Buzzing a reply, the scout sped up his powerful engine, dodged the legs of one final Vehicon, and shot into the Groundbridge, disappearing in a golden light as Nova placed a hand to her ear.

“Raf, we’re ready for pickup,” she said, dodging a blast from an especially skilled Vehicon. “Send a Groundbridge for us.”

“ _Roger that,”_ came the reply. Sure enough, a bright green portal flared to life just beside the Autobots, and Optimus looked to the Decepticon’s Groundbridge to make sure Bumblebee had returned before he ran through himself.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Back at the base, the golden scout demonstrated his feats inside the Decepticon Groundbridge to the others, using Raf’s toy car as a model as he told them exactly how he had driven up and over Megatron in the tunnel and snatched the relic from his very hands while he was unawares.

“Loop-de-loop, huh?” Arcee said in response to his dramatic beeping as he carefully handed the car back to Raf.

“Heh,” Bulkhead chuckled, slapping his friend on the chest fondly. “you’ve got some brass bearings, Bumblebee.”

“Optimus,” Ratchet called, from where he stood examining the Spark Extractor.

With Nova sitting on his shoulder like a wingless parrot, Optimus came over to look at the analysis results that had popped up on the computer screen as the medic pointed to a familiar sign.

“Here,” said Ratchet, looking at the Autobot symbol. “The source of the ancient frequency we detected.”

“An Iacon homing beacon,” the Prime realized.

“What’s an Autobot locator doing on _that_?” Arcee asked.

Optimus Prime turned to explain to all of them. “The Class-A Decepticon weapons confiscated during the war were sealed within the vaults below Iacon.”

“Where you once worked as an archivist?” Bulkhead clarified.

“Iacon was both a cultural canter and a stronghold,” Optimus continued. “Which Megatron raided when Autobot troops were at their nadir. It stands to reason, that in anticipation of Iacon being overrun by enemy forces, these weapons were jettisoned off-world to keep them far from Decepticon reach.”

“Clearly, the beacon was added as a safety measure, should the weapons be found by the undesired party,” Ratchet speculated.

Bulkhead laughed. “Well, thanks to our hotshot stunt-driver, this one’s goin’ in _our_ vault,” he said jubilantly.

“Do you … think this is the only intel you supplied to Megatron?” Arcee asked hesitantly to Optimus. Nova winced as she looked up at her guardian. This was a simple question, but taken the wrong way, it could have been an accusation.

“Arcee, you are right to ask,” Optimus said gravely, “And … I am afraid I — do not remember.” He closed his eyes in sadness.

“Optimus,” Ratchet said firmly, waiting until his friend looked him in the eyes, “Megatron clearly took advantage of your amnesia. But for all we know, this Spark Extractor is the extent of it.” He leaned forward. “Have you stopped to consider that Megatron might have suggested otherwise, merely to plague your thoughts?”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Optimus said nothing to Ratchet’s statement of reason, lost in thought, while Nova slid down to the ground and looked up at him, waiting for a statement, for anything from her guardian. There was nothing, and he walked soberly to the back of the base with her trotting at his heels.

“Don’t blame yourself,” she said as he walked on in silence. “There was nothing you could do to prevent it.”

He stopped his walk and looked down at her.

“What?” Nova asked.

“You were the only one present with me in my captivity,” he said, an edge to his voice. “Is there _any_ information you can give?”

“I — I don’t think anyone’s ready for me to say,” she murmured quietly.

“This is not a matter of imparting information of my sickness,” Optimus said, taking a knee and towering above her even then. “In order to ensure the safety of the others, I need to understand exactly how helpful my actions were to the Decepticons. Can you tell me?”

Nova sighed, glancing at the ground in resignation as she thought back to that long night she had spent in cramped tunnels, scuttling around fearfully in the dim light.

“You were put to work decoding something,” she said. “I couldn’t hear all of it, but it was linked to Iacon, and you were afraid that its information could lead the decoder to weapons of mass destruction. Anything else I can’t remember.”

“Why not?”

“Probably something to do with a Vehicon blasting me in the face while his friend stretched me between his fingers,” she burst out. “Maybe something to do with the trauma of watching as you were beaten and tortured by those I was powerless to stop while Megatron looked on with a smile on his face! Something to do with seeing a Decepticon symbol on your arm while you were led through the warship like a confused child, addressing the warmonger as ‘Lord Megatron’ and listening to his words of poison! Something to do with the Dark Energon exposure we all suffered in the depths of the Earth and going without rest for three days! _That_ might erase a few things!”

Optimus’ eyes widened a little.

She stopped, her mouth open, and covered her face with her hands in shame. “I’m so sorry, Optimus. I don’t know what came over me.”

“It is all right—”

“No!” She leaned against the wall and hugged her arms to her chest, gritting her teeth against her sobs. “It’s not all right to just watch while your friend is hurt and lied to! I wasn’t … I didn’t …”

She started to shake as Optimus offered her his finger to grasp.

“Optimus, I’m so sorry!” Nova stifled her tears as she threw herself into his hand, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably. “I’m so, so sorry! I failed. I should have done more, I wasn’t prepared enough and I didn’t do enough and I’m sorry…”

Optimus listened to her outburst in silence and waited until she was finished, then lifted her up in his hand and brought her up to his face, her legs dangling from the edge of his palm.

“Look at me,” he ordered. He waited until she raised her eyes to his.

“You bring this unnecessary guilt upon yourself,” he intoned firmly. “And I do not want you to carry a weight which is not yours to bear.”

“You don’t even remember what happened! How do you know what I should carry?”

Optimus looked at her gravely. “This is the only thing I do know for certain — you were the only one who remained with me through my darkest hour. You seem to count that as nothing.”

He saw her face change to one of surprise as he continued, “Do you not think that is worthy of honor?”

She sighed and sat up on his hand as the Prime got to his feet and continued walking.

“Now,” he said, “Tell me what troubled you in that time, that I may know, and make amends if necessary.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“Optimus,” Ratchet said, “Bumblebee and Bulkhead have detected another frequency. They are currently en route.”

“Understood,” Optimus said, approaching from behind with Nova on his shoulder. “Are there enemy forces at the location of the frequency?”

“No,” replied the medic. “That’s what is so surprising. It’s as if we were the first ones to discover this relic.”

Nova frowned. “As if it was put there, just for us,” she said, causing Optimus to turn his head.  
“Inform them to proceed, with extreme caution,” ordered the Prime.

A few minutes later, Nova felt a gut-wrenching pang shoot through her chest, and she fell off the top of Optimus’ shoulder without a sound.

As her body hit the ground and her head jerked back, Nova saw the hazy silhouettes of Ratchet and Optimus bending over her against the blinding light. Their mouths were both moving, but no sound came from them that the half-spark could hear over the ringing in her ears as they raised her up.

“Bumblebee,” she whispered, unable to hear herself either. “Bumblebee …”

Suddenly, the pain disappeared, leaving a dull ache in her side. She sat up, groaning as she clutched her stomach.

“What happened?” Ratchet asked.

“Bumblebee was hurt. He’s alive, but something’s not right. I — I don’t know,” she said dizzily. “I think it was a trap.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Soon, the Groundbridge opened to let the Autobots into the base. Both were on foot, and Bumblebee’s face held a desperate look that Nova could not understand as Bulkhead explained the horrible truth: Bumblebee could no longer transform. Ratchet, fussing and theorizing as usual, made the scout lie down on the medical table while he ran the laser-scanner over him.

“You can fix Bee, can’t you?” Raf asked from the floor.

“Bumblebee was hit pretty hard,” Ratchet said. “The stun blasts may have fried his T-cog.”

“Is that like a T- _bone?”_ Miko inquired lightheartedly.

Arcee looked down at her. “Not exactly. It’s the organ that allows us to scan vehicles and transform.” She jerked her head at the half-spark. “Nova has one that’s slightly different. Without it, she wouldn’t be able to form her armor.”

“By the Allspark,” Ratchet gasped, his scanner powering off. “Bumblebee’s T-cog isn’t damaged. It’s _missing._ ”

At his words, the entire base was plunged into silence as everyone, even Optimus, stood openmouthed at the gravity of the situation.

“But the Decepticons transform too,” Jack said confusedly. “Why would they steal that?”

Ratchet shook his head in denial. “Megatron may be known to raise zombies, but he’s no ghoul.”

“If Megatron wasn’t behind this,” Raf asked, “Then who was?”

Bulkhead lowered his brows. “The ones who cannibalized Breakdown.”

“And tried to gut me,” Arcee said in disgust.

“The ones who held Nova captive all these years,” Ratchet realized. “MECH. And it would appear that their knowledge of Cybertronian biotech has grown more sophisticated,” he said gravely.

“But why would they want Bumblebee’s part?” Raf wondered.

With an angry buzzing and beeping, Bumblebee rose off the table and made his intentions clear.

“Bumblebee, please,” Optimus said, placing a hand on his shoulder and looking him in the eye. “You are not presently … _equipped_ to handle this.”

Indignantly, the scout erupted in a string of beeps which made Nova frown.

“You are mistaken, my friend,” Optimus said patiently. “I _do_ know what it is like to lose a vital part of oneself. And, as a result, I know the value of putting one’s faith in the strength of those around you.” He looked up at the others as he finished. “We vow to do everything in our power to make you whole again.”

“And if not, Ratchet can just make you a new cog thing, right?” Miko said.

At her ignorance, Bumblebee groaned and sat back down with his head in his hands.

“What’d I say?” the girl inquired.

Ratchet looked at her reproachfully. “Miko, a T-cog is a bio-mechanism, not a scrapyard find. If it were that easy, don’t you think I would have replaced Bumblebee’s voice box by now?”

A disgusted buzzing and beeping spouted forth from Bumblebee’s makeshift voice as Raf shook his head.

“You’re _not_ useless, Bee.”

The scout did not respond, but hugged his knees and buzzed in a low voice that was not meant to be words.

“All right, all right, I say none of us transform until Bee gats his cog back,” Bulkhead suggested.

“Your Spark’s in the right place, Bulkhead,” Arcee said, “But I don’t think now is the time to be limiting ourselves.”

“Not with Megatron seeking other doomsday devices,” Optimus finished. “And, I fear, not while MECH uses Bumblebee’s T-cog for their own sinister purpose.”

Nova had said nothing throughout this whole conversation, and when Optimus looked up at her, she frowned, formed her visor and hid her face.

“Do you have something to offer?” He looked at her until she raised her head.

“MECH … always has a base,” she said finally. “I don’t know where, or what it will look like, but I do know what to look for. If we begin the search now, we should be able to find them within a week, unless they expect retaliation.”

“Where would we even look?” Bulkhead asked. “It’s not like they tell us where they’re going.”

“No,” she said. “But we do know where they’ve been. They only set up their facilities in areas of extremely low populations, and I know that Silas has several secure locations in the northern United States. Also, I have an idea of where I might try looking first.”

“Great, so Nova will look for the base and contact Fowler if she finds anything, while the rest of us will keep tracking the ‘Cons,” Bulkhead agreed.

“I am not inclined to allow Nova to undertake such an operation alone,” said Optimus. “She may require assistance.”

“No,” Nova protested. “I can do it alone. A small team would be better anyway. Their detection devices are very effective, and if we send more than one they might detect us and evacuate.”

“What gives you this idea of where to look first?” Ratchet asked, skeptical.

She looked back at him. “Just experience.”

“Experience or no, I am not going to stand here and watch a repeat of what happened before,” Ratchet said, looking at Optimus. “We almost lost our half-spark last time MECH got ahold of her.”

“While finding Bumblebee’s T-cog carries priority, I am in agreement with Ratchet,” Optimus said. “In this situation, it is paramount that we enforce proper safety measures, especially where MECH is concerned.”

He had refused to grant her permission. Nova ducked her head. “I understand, Optimus.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

The next morning, the base was in a state of uproar.

“Optimus, we’ve looked all over the silo,” Ratchet said. “Nova’s disappeared.”

The Prime nodded in acknowledgement, but instead of searching within the base with the others, he thought for a minute, walked to the elevator transport and rose to the top of the base, stepping onto the sun-baked rock outside.

“I must admit, I had my suppositions,” he said as he came to sit by the half-spark, who dangled her legs over the edge.

“I was just watching the sunrise,” she said quietly.

He turned to her. “When were you planning to depart?”

Guiltily, she turned her head away. “You knew.”

“I knew that you would not be pleased at the thought of your brother being allowed to spread destruction.”

“It’s really not his fault,” she said defensively. “Silas corrupted Coby’s mind against _me_ specifically, not you Transformers. Whatever he does, he thinks it’s right because he’ll get back at me, and because he’s glad to do anything out of his hatred for me. This is why I wanted to go alone. I just—” She paused and sighed. “I just want to save my brother before he becomes something terrible. Even now, I’ve almost convinced myself that there’s nothing I can do to help him.”

Optimus looked down at her. “I thought these things of Megatron, in the early days of the war,” he said. “But I still hold to the belief that he has the capacity for change, and can become honorable once again.” He paused briefly. “But in the case of both Coby and Megatron, it must be by their own choice.”

“That’s why I want to leave,” replied Nova. “If I keep hiding here; Silas will just keep sending Coby after me, and the damage which could be done in such a war…” She got to her feet and took a breath. “Optimus, the reason I asked you yesterday was because I may be able to track Coby down.”

“How do you know this?”

“Because I could almost _feel_ it when he was near me, that time in Alaska,” she said. “I believe our Sparks are connected somehow — maybe because we’re siblings, or maybe it’s part of the experiments — I don’t know _why_ , but I do know where he is, and I think that if I find him, I’ll find Silas too.”

Her guardian was silent for a moment. “Would you contact us if you uncovered any evidence of MECH’s location?”

“I would have to contact Agent Fowler. Sending a transmission to base would be too dangerous.”

“Are you afraid?”

There was silence for a moment.

“Yes,” she whispered finally, “I am.”

Optimus looked at her. “And you still wish to do this?”

“You can’t let fear stop you from doing what’s right,” said the half-spark with head raised and eyes steady. “You would try, wouldn’t you?”

There was another long silence, and then Optimus nodded. “Very well. You have my permission.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Nova stood with a slightly cocked head and folded arms as she looked up at the medic, rolling her weight on and off her toes in little nervous bounces.

“Where to?” Ratchet asked, his hands at the ready.

“Ummm…” Nova looked at the map of the globe on the computer in front of him and knit her brow. The other Autobots, minus the school-bound children, were gathered around her at the exit to the base in solemn silence, knowing the gravity of such a situation.

“Where’s she going again?” Bulkhead muttered to Arcee.

“Optimus said she was going to try and find the location of the MECH base, solo,” she replied. “Against his previous orders.”

Bumblebee buzzed angrily.

“That’s right, Bee, it _is_ for you,” Arcee said shortly. “Nova’s doing it out of her own free will, so the least you can do is be grateful and not beat yourself up about it.”

Another sullen beep, and then Bumblebee was silent.

“Well, what are the rest of us supposed to do?” Bulkhead asked. “Just sit here?”

“Optimus will probably send us out to scan for any other Decepticon finds,” Arcee replied. “We still don’t know exactly how many relics Megatron’s after.”

Meanwhile, Nova had come to a decision. “There,” she said, pointing to a spot in the northwestern United States. “If Silas is anywhere, I think the place where Bumblebee got hurt is the place I should start.”

“Shouldn’t we all go?” Bulkhead asked Arcee quietly. “I mean, I don’t really like the thought of her going out there alone again. Not after what happened last time.”

The Wrecker felt a hand on his shoulder as Optimus spoke to him.

“I, too, share your sentiment, Bulkhead,” he said in a low voice as they looked at Nova, preparing to depart with her hands clasping and unclasping at her sides. “But sending a large team of Autobots would only hinder her in her reconnaissance mission, and we need all the warriors we can spare to attend to other matters.”

“Huh, well, I don’t like it,” he replied sullenly, his jaw jutted out.

The Groundbridge portal blossomed in the tunnel as Nova straightened her shoulders and swung her arms, preparing to depart.

“I’ll — I’ll come back as soon as I can,” she said, her eyes flicking up to Optimus’ briefly. “Bye.”

Then, she turned away and ran into the Groundbridge, not giving anyone a chance to respond.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“Has the bio-mechanism been transplanted into Project Chimera?”

“Yes, sir,” the agent of MECH replied to his leader. “The Decepticon called Starscream has been most helpful, but he demands that we scout for Blueblood in the surrounding area, in order to provide a more reliable power source.”

“Understood,” Silas replied. “Scramble a unit and prepare to move out.”

“Sir, we’ve just discovered a spike of tachyon emission at the site of our apprehension of the robotic life form,” another agent informed his master as images and measurements flashed on the computer screen.

“Are the surveillance drones still on patrol?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Bring up a visual,” Silas ordered.

The agent did so, and an aerial view of the place where Bumblebee was assaulted flashed onto the viewing screen. The sand and rocks, interrupted by the winding road every so often, stretched wide in all directions, the whole area plunged into darkness with only the light of the full moon to shine upon it.

And there, kneeling in the hollow where the downed Autobot had lain, was a human.

“Magnify the image,” said Silas, coming a little closer to peer at the screen. The agent knew that something was wrong when his leader would actually move to do something. Silas didn’t often peer.

“Yes, sir.”

The image increased in size until they could see a mostly-clear view of a young girl, probably seventeen or eighteen, wearing a dark red sweatshirt and blue jeans.

Silas’ mouth turned up in a slight, a very slight, smile.

“So the Alpha Sentinel has been deployed once more,” he muttered. He raised his handheld radio to his mouth. “Prepare the Omega Centurion for combat,” ordered the leader of MECH. “The traitor is about to arrive.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Nova crouched in the dirt and ran her fingers over the ground quietly. The sand and rocks around her had been scuffed up with human tracks, and a large hollow dipped into the ground in the midst of the prints. And near the side of the hollow were three gleaming drops of blue liquid.

“Energon,” she muttered. “Your agents didn’t clean up after themselves, Silas.”

She looked around. Except for the tire tracks she knew to be Bulkhead’s, there were no other vehicle marks to be seen.

“Where to go from here?” Nova asked herself. She put a finger to her chin.

 _If they used a helicopter, it would probably be equipped with an internal-combustion turboshaft engine_ , she theorized. _And since that engine runs on gas, then I should be able to track the exhaust from the residual fuel._

She twisted the knob on the side of her helmet until her visor turned red, and then she could see clearly an invisible cloud of the fumes — a trail leading her onward through the night sky.

“I’m coming, Silas,” she said aloud. “And you’d better be ready for me.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

The energy signal pinged on the map of the computer screen, and Bulkhead peered at it intently.

“This could be it,” he said to Bumblebee, who was the only other one present. “I’ll alert the others.”

Bumblebee interrupted, however, beeping and chirping in protest.

“I know you and I can handle it, Bee, but there’s no reason to—” Bulkhead sighed. “What are you trying to prove?”

The scout made a fist and brought his arm up to his chest confidently, buzzing all the while.

Bulkhead sighed again in resignation. “Fine.”

He lowered the levers to the Groundbridge reluctantly and walked into the portal, Bumblebee close on his heels.

“Clear,” he called back to him as he jumped out the other side, scanner in hand. The scout passed through, coming to stand next to him as the Groundbridge disappeared. They stood in the middle of a dense forest in the noonday sun, the light filtering through the leaves and making patterns on the swept dirt ground.

“I still dunno how you talked me into this,” Bulkhead thrust his finger at him rebukingly. “You’re worse than Miko.”

Buzzing and beeping punctuated Bumblebee’s remarks as he debated, following Bulkhead at a slower pace.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Not every mission ends in a high-speed pursuit. But without your—”

Insulted, Bumblebee glared at him and buzzed angrily.

“Fine. I’ll drop it,” Bulkhead relented. “But if Optimus finds out, this was not my idea.”

Bumblebee buzzed impatiently and waved him off.

They walked forward through the trees, eventually coming to a wall of rock which barred their path. Within the cliff face was an opening, and as they looked upon it, the scanner beeped in Bulkhead’s hand.

“Signal’s coming from over there,” he said, looking at the rock. He stared at it more intensely as the scanner beeped faster.

“And it’s coming our way fast!” Bulkhead readied himself, activating his mace with his right hand.

Sure enough, out of the cave a second later burst the sleek red vehicle mode of Knock Out, churning up dust in his wake.

“Catch me if you can!” Knock Out teased as he sped past them.

“I’ll get him,” Bulkhead growled, turning to chase after the car, but as soon as he turned his back, a thudding came out of the cave, and Breakdown, with his hammer flung back and ready to strike, charged out of it directly at Bulkhead.

“O-kay, you get him!” Bulkhead changed his mind, turning around to face his rival and slamming his fists together.

Bumblebee beeped twice and charged after Knock Out as the sounds of the larger Cybertronians’ struggle echoed through the woods.

Once on the paved road a short distance away, Knock Out sped up and pulled gradually ahead of the running Autobot, looking back at Bumblebee in his rearview mirror curiously.

“Sporting of you,” he remarked.

As the faster Decepticon sped away, Bumblebee slowed to a halt and thrust his arms forward in an attempt to fire at the red car with his blasters.

But without his t-cog, the scout’s arms could not transform into weapons, and he lowered his arms in frustration as Knock Out skidded to a stop several yards ahead.

“You’re not even gonna _try_ and shoot out my tires?”

He raised his voice so that the scout, standing dejectedly down the road, could hear his words loud and clear. “Bumblebee, where’s your famous horsepower, eh? Show me some speed!”

He had struck a nerve.

Clenching his fists in determination, Bumblebee sprinted forward and tried in desperation to lock his fingers in the back bumper of the red sports car, but Knock Out let him get very close before peeling away, churning a cloud of dust up in Bumblebee’s face as he stumbled after the Decepticon.

Seeing that he could not continue the pursuit on foot, the scout glanced around until his eyes fell upon a rusted, broken down pickup truck in the lot of an abandoned gas station by the side of the road. He seized it in his hands and shoved it down the asphalt, working up a running start and leaping into the back of the truck bed, causing sparks to erupt from the undercarriage as the truck rolled down the street.

Up ahead, Knock Out glanced in his rearview again.

“What is with the rent-a-car?” Knock Out laughed, revving up his engine forcefully.

Under the unexpected weight, the aged truck began to rattle and shake, and Bumblebee heard a sickening crack from underneath the frame as more sparks skittered along the road. He looked back and reached out helplessly to the severed tire, watching as it bounced out of reach like the rest of his hopes.

“I’d stick around and do some donuts around you, but I’ve got a delivery to make,” Knock Out taunted, with the relic he’d dug up with Breakdown bumping around in the backseat.

With that, he spun his steering wheel full circle, screeching around the bend and disappearing from view. Bumblebee could see the turn coming up towards him, and tried desperately to steer the dilapidated truck around the bend … too late.

The broken fragments and pieces of the shattered guardrails flew left and right into the air as the Autobot and truck both went over the edge, and the loud beep of Bumblebee’s scream echoing through the cliff walls was all you would hear if you had seen him go over the side and blink out of sight.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“A-ah!” Nova curled up into a ball in her agony as she gritted her teeth, the pain shooting up into her spine with all the force of an exploding grenade. “AUUGH!”

Her head spinning, she leaned all the way forward until her head rested in the dirt, gritting her teeth and grabbing fistfuls of the grass at the sides of her head.

“Augh! Oh… Whew. What was—” Nova grunted again and tried to push herself up on her arms as the pain dissipated with a final throb.

“Ohh, I feel like I’ve been hit by a freight train,” she muttered as she stood up and stretched her shoulders. “Bumblebee must have gotten hurt again.”

 _Without his t-cog, that’s no surprise,_ her mind told her. _Time is running out._

“You’re right, me,” she sighed, tapping her helmet lightly. “I’d better get on with whatever I intend to do here.”

She looked out upon the building she had discovered. She had been walking through the forest in pursuit of any human activity just a few minutes before, when she was almost startled out of her wits by a green car as it sped by and rumbled into the compound. Nova leaned against a tree quietly. The base looked just like an abandoned warehouse, set on the slopes of the tree-covered hillside and as quiet as death.

“If that’s where Silas is hiding, then that’s where Bumblebee’s t-cog is hiding, too,” the half-spark muttered to herself. “I just have to find a way to get in.”

“Don’t you have a key?” a voice said from behind her. Nova spun around to face it, and saw someone she had hoped would stay away for a long time.

She clenched her fists. “Coby.”

“Bingo! Give the girl a prize! Except for one thing. If I can’t call you sis anymore, then it’s only fair that you can’t call me Coby either.”

“Fine,” Nova growled. “Omega Centurion, what do you want?”

He threw up his hands and laughed. “What do you think? Silas sends me out to patrol the grounds, and here I find some suspicious character roaming the hillside. I want you to surrender. So tell me what _you_ want, and why you’re here.”

“No.”

“Okay,” he chuckled, cracking his knuckles. “You’re gonna regret this. Remember what happened the last time you fought me?”

“Yes,” Nova replied, putting up her own fists. “You lost.”

He lunged forward and slammed her against the tree, and despite her armor, Nova’s breath was knocked out of her. The Omega Centurion grasped her foot and swung her around to slam her against another tree, sending her spinning away with her arms flailing.

Nova hit the ground with an audible _thud_ and let out a cry, her head still spinning from the pain of earlier. Before she could get up, however, her opponent leaped into the air and dropped like a ton of bricks right into Nova’s chest.

“Augh!” Her face crumpled as the force of the impact shot into her spine, and Nova rolled onto herhands and knees as Coby taunted her.

“Real pain hurts, doesn’t it?” He lifted her up by the shoulders and slammed her helmet into the nearest tree. With a loud _crack_ , the tree split down the middle, and Nova groaned as the Omega Centurion let her fall to the ground.

“Let me tell you what really hurts,” he continued, pacing around her slowly. “What really hurts is being betrayed by your own flesh and blood, and having to grow up knowing that your whole family is dead because of your traitorous little sister! Tell you what,” he said quieter, placing a hand to his chin. “If you surrender now, then I’ll let you live long enough to see Silas, and we can have a reunion. Won’t that be fun?”

“I didn’t kill Mom and Dad,” Nova grunted, stumbling to her feet. “It didn’t … happen like you think! Silas told you a … a filthy lie, Coby.”

“That’s just what a traitor would say,” he snarled, lunging at her again. But Nova had had enoughof lunging. She spun to the left as Coby’s body flew past her, delivering a blow to his back and helping him down to the dirt.

Leaping to his feet, the Centurion met her gaze and flung out his sword, a black, red-edged weapon that he gripped tightly in his hand. In response,Nova let her own sword extend out of her right arm, a glowing, blue laser-tipped blade which she detached from her armor to match that of her opponent, forming a handle and grasping it in her hands.

“Two can play at the sword-game,” she said. “But I’m _not_ a traitor, Coby.”

He snarled. “I _said_ don’t call me that!”

He leaped at her, his sword whistling through the air as he brought it down on her head. She raised her own sword above her shoulders and blocked his blow, and their blades collided with a ring which echoed through the forest.

“So it begins,” Coby hissed, and flung his blade at her again.

Back and forth their swords flew, flashing in the air at the speed of lightning, clanging and whistling through the air again and again as the former siblings battled. As they exchanged blows, Nova was thankful that Optimus had taken the time to teach her a few things about swordplay, and some of these lessons may indeed have saved her, for when Coby feigned a final blow to her right, swinging around again and thrusting at her left side, she caught his sword just in time and kept her stance firm as their blades crashed together. He glared at her over their blades as their muscles strained, and at that moment, the Autobot half-spark was no longer willing to keep up the struggle.

Nova spun her blade around his and flung his sword out of his grip, but instead of striking, she raised her proud weapon and let it fall to the ground, clattering on the hard earth as she looked at Coby.

“What are you doing?” Coby asked, incredulous. “Pick up your sword, you chicken!”

“I’m trying to get you to listen to me,” Nova said, lowering her hands to her sides and deactivating her helmet. “I don’t want to fight you anymore, Omega Centurion. I never did.”

“Well, that’s too bad, isn’t it?” Coby asked. Bringing the blunt hilt of his sword up, he struck her a vicious blow on the side of the head, and the Alpha Sentinel fell like a stone as the darkness crashed into her mind.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“Of all the scrap-brained ideas!” Ratchet growled as he looked at Bumblebee’s still body lying upon the medical table before him. “Taking Bumblebee into a potential chase scenario when he no longer has the ability to access his wheels?!”

“He improvised,” Bulkhead said in defense.

“Hey! Bee’s waking up!” Raf exclaimed, as Bumblebee beep-groaned and sat up shakily, placing a hand to his head.

“You’ve already lost your voice-box and your t-cog,” Ratchet said to him, coming to the table with the formidable fury of a field medic. “Were you really trying to add your Spark to the list?”

Bumblebee buzzed dejectedly, his eyes downcast.

“Don’t say that, Bumblebee,” Raf protested. “You’re _not_ useless!”

Arcee stepped forward and interrupted. “I hate to break up the pity-party, but the ‘Cons just added Unknown Iacon Payday Number Two to their armory.”

The thudding of Optimus’ footsteps came from behind the three of them as he said, “Neither blame nor praise will modify past events, but we cannot afford to take further unnecessary risks. Bumblebee, you are _not_ to leave our base. Not until we can retrieve your missing bio-mechanism.”

With that, he turned and began to walk away, but after a moment of thought, Ratchet followed him.

“Bumblebee is right to be less than hopeful,” he said, with a wary glance over his shoulder at the despondent scout. “But you and I both know there exists a way to make him whole again.”

Optimus paused in his gait. “A transplant. But that would require a donor.” He began to walk again, but stopped short as Ratchet’s calm voice interrupted.

“You need look no further than the Autobot standing before you.”

The Prime looked back at him.

“A generous offer, old friend,” he said finally. “But your solution would merely trade one Autobot’s handicap for another’s.”

“I don’t rely upon my t-cog,” Ratchet argued. “Not like Bumblebee does. The ability to transform is virtually wasted on me.” He gestured to the floor of the base. “This is where I spend my days— where my thoughts and hands are of value; not my weapons or wheels.”

The medic looked at the three Autobots behind him, as Bulkhead placed a comforting hand on Bumblebee’s shoulder. “Our team cannot afford to be shy even one warrior in the field.”

“You make a compelling case,” Optimus allowed. “But know that we will find Bumblebee’s t-cog.”

Ratchet looked up at his old friend with a pleading expression on his face.

“Optimus,” he replied firmly, “MECH are _savages;_ who knows what damage they have already inflicted upon it, or—” His voice broke. “Or if I will be able to repair it…”

His eyes closed and he bowed his head in hopeless despair, but Optimus knew that he was not merely referring to Bumblebee’s t-cog.

“Ratchet,” he said after a pause, “You did everything in your power.”

The kindness in his voice made the medic snap his head up abruptly. For a moment, Ratchet’s eyes widened, and his mouth opened in the realization that Nova was not the only one who knew of his shame.

After a moment of recovery, he snorted and averted his gaze. “Pfmgh. Puh-lease! Do you really think this is about my inability to restore Bumblebee’s _voice-box_?”

Optimus said nothing, looking at him steadily.

“I — I just want to do what’s right. For our scout,” Ratchet said finally, raising his eyes to Optimus again. “For the team.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Nova cracked her eyes open slightly. She had been chained rudely to a small chair in the middle of a large room, her head resting on her chest and her sword lying on a metal desk just a few feet out of reach. Her armor had been deactivated.

Through a large viewing window in the far wall of the room, she could see the entirety of the warehouse she just been observing from the forest less than an hour earlier.

Before she could move, however, about five more MECH agents came in from outside and entered the large doors in the front of the warehouse. At their head was a clean-shaven, scarred man who looked around once and stopped to speak to an associate. Nova bit back a growl at the sight of her parents’ killer.

A few minutes later, sending the roaring sound of jet engines reverberating through the forest, the familiar form of Starscream streaked into the warehouse and transformed, landing before Silas with a characteristic chuckle.

“Starscream? What is _he_ doing here?” Angrily, Nova struggled against her bonds, but suddenly felt a hand ruffle her hair.

“Ah-ah,” Coby warned in a low voice. “You don’t want to try and escape. Believe me.”

Nova jerked her head away. “What exactly am I supposed to do?”

“Wait, and watch.” The Omega Centurion placed a casual but firm hand on her shoulder as he turned her chair to face the window. “And you may see something fun.”

“Command your troopers to bring the Energon inside,” Starscream ordered, his voice penetrating the wall easily. “So that we may begin production of our army.”

Nova saw Silas glare at him, and Starscream hurriedly changed his words. “ _Your_ army.”

“My army will not be a success if I have to deal with windbag associates who do not stop talking and ruin my plans,” Silas said back.

As ever, his voice was quiet and composed, one of the things Nova hated most about him. Whatever she did as a child to make him angry at her only resulted in a curt nod to his minions in the awful silence, and then the torture would begin.

On the arms of the chair, her fingers balled into fists, and her younger captor laughed harshly.

“Oh, you really hate him, don’t you?” Coby teased.

Nova ignored him, gritting her teeth and watching the events outside intently.

“If I am to be an … _associate_ to this rather difficult undertaking, I believe my suggestions merit a little more consideration on your part, my dear flesh creature,” Starscream chuckled, leering down at the humans. “Of course, if there was a point in which I would decide to discontinue our partnership, then this planet would be a few dozen idiots short.”

“Unload the substance,” Silas ordered the nearest agent, and with a furtive glance up at the leering Decepticon, the minion scrambled to do his work quickly.

“You see? I believe my presence may solve any efficiency issues around here very quickly,” Starscream smiled down at the MECH leader, who gave no response and stalked toward the room where Nova sat.

With a shrug, Starscream followed him, kneeling down in front of the little door and peering inside the window.

“Ah, I see the half-breed runt is still alive,” he chuckled, tapping on the glass and grinning evilly. “Hello, little one.”

Nova frowned and said nothing, but she cringed involuntarily as the Decepticon ran his talons down the window, the glass screeching under the scrape of his claws.

“Hm-hm-hm-heh-heh-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” Starscream laughed, delighted with her anxiety.

“That’s enough,” Silas ordered. “Inform the lead scientist that we are to fuel the subject once the Energon is processed and resume testing.”

“As you wish, my flesh-covered friend.” Starscream sneered once more at Nova as he got to his feet and walked away. “I will be sure to tell Prime what happened to you, little sparkling — if he thinks to ask about you, of course. Have fun!”

“No!” Nova growled, jerking at the chair. Coby thrust out his sword and placed the hot blade to her neck, discouraging any further movement.

Silas calmly took a seat at the desk, lifting up Nova’s weapon and fingering it appraisingly.

“Fine craftsmanship,” he said, laying the blade down once again. “To think what the knights in the Middle Ages would have done to gain a weapon like this one.”

“Give me the bio-mechanism you took from the Titan,” Nova demanded. “ _Right_ now.”

“I’m afraid that is not possible,” Silas said diplomatically, folding his hands and placing them on the table as he addressed her. “For I am putting it to a better use.”

“Taking the vital organs of a living being and twisting them for your own gain is _not_ a better use,” Nova snarled. “My brother and I were the byproduct of such nightmares.”

“A rousing statement, my former Alpha Sentinel,” Silas said with a slight smile. “But I did not order your capture for the purpose of hearing you preach. MECH is above the constraints of your feeble morality.”

“MECH is above many constraints, some of which you are not meant to transcend.” Nova lowered her eyebrows at him. “What are you going to do with the t-cog, Silas? Dismantle it? Sell it on the black market? No. From how well I know you, you’re going to try to manipulate it; make it do your bidding. You’re _making_ something — a new weapon, right? A military-grade tank which can turn into a V-TOL jet perhaps? What are you fueling with the Energon? What are you trying to build that you would need the help of Starscream in order to succeed?”

“Your questions are well-placed, my former warrior,” the scarred man said. “Too well-placed. A former soldier such as yourself should not be allowed to continue deducing such sensitive classified information.” He jerked his head at the Centurion and stood up from the table. “Terminate her.”

“Yes, sir!” Coby placed his blade to Nova’s neck again, but before he could draw it across, her armor snapped over her arms, breaking the chain, and she seized his sword and wrenched the handle from his grip, while her foot shoved the chair into the Centurion’s legs and caused him to fall to the ground.

Nova leaped towards Silas, the red-edged blade in her hands, but the half-spark suddenly felt herself jerked back as Coby got up from the ground and grabbed her by the shoulders, hurling her to the floor and knocking his sword out of her grasp.

“I can handle this, sir,” Coby said, as Silas turned toward the door. “Continue testing, and I will make sure the area does not become compromised."

Silas nodded, and disappeared from view as he walked out the door and shut it behind him.

“No!” Nova leapt up and lunged after him, her hand an inch away from the doorknob, but just as her gauntleted fingers brushed the handle, a red-laser blade slapped down on her palm with a _clink_.

“Just you and me now, Tiny,” Coby hissed into her ear.

Nova removed her hand from the knob and let her arms fall to her sides, fighting tears. “I don’t want to fight you, Coby. You’re my brother. Listen, if you come back with me, we can—”

“What? We can what?” The Omega Centurion thrust his blade out at her as she backed toward the table. “You and your friends can try and make me feel better about what happened to us? To our parents? We can’t change the past, Nova.”

“You’re right,” she said, inching her hand down to the table quietly. “We can’t change what was done to us; only what we do to others.”

She grasped the hit of her own blade and swept it up to meet Coby’s, slamming his sword away and straining against it as her eyes flashed behind her visor. “And I’m _not_ going to let you endanger innocent people by working for the man who murdered our parents and stole our _lives_!”

Coby struck out at her face, making Nova reflexively jerk back, and in her moment of imbalance he slammed his hand down on a red button that hung on the outside of the doorframe.

Immediately, the wall on the opposite side of the room slid away like a garage door, revealing the darkened hills and night sky beyond the warehouse.

“Let’s take this fight to the yard,” he chuckled, raising his sword again.

Nova looked from him to the open wall.

“Wow,” she said, the happiness in her voice making Coby hesitate to strike her. “I thought I’d have to fight my way past Starscream to get out the front door, but it looks like you just made my job a lot easier. Thanks!”

She leaped outside and sprinted away, charging up the nearby hill with all her might as the Omega Centurion roared out in rage behind her.

As she ran, Nova formed her helmet and placed two fingers to the side of her head.

“Agent Fowler,” she panted as the trees flew by her. “Please pick up! I’ve found the location of an unidentified MECH base. I’m in need of assistance.”

“ _Great jumpin’ Jefferson, kid! Where are you?_ ”

“I’ll — _ow_! — I’ll send you my coordinates,” she panted, breathlessly pressing a few buttons on her vambrace as she crashed through the forest. “I’m somewhere in Oregon, I think. That’s where I was Groundbridged, anyway. Use the satellite feeds for this sector and find images of an abandoned warehouse in a deserted area. That should give you all the proof you need. I don’t have much time, but I need you to tell Optimus —”

Suddenly, a dark figure dropped out of the air directly in front of her with his blade extended, nearly making Nova run herself onto it.

“ _Kid? Kid! What’s goin on?_ ”

Gasping and stopping on her tiptoes, her chest inches away from the sword, Nova stumbled back and gaped at the figure before her.

“Going somewhere?” Coby asked.

Nova shut off the comm-link.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Optimus, Arcee, and Bulkhead stepped out of the Groundbridge, surveying the blue skies and icy slopes which greeted them, and the Prime raised the scanner in his hand to point them in the right direction. They had discovered another relic signal whilst Ratchet and Bumblebee had been in the middle of preparing for t-cog transplant surgery, and the unwilling surgeon Arcee was forced to cease the operation before she had even put Bumblebee under stasis. Now, all three Autobots, minus the patients back at base, were pursuing the relic alone, with only their scanner and their skill to guide them, because no one could be prepared for what the Decepticons would unearth next.

“The signal’s coming from up there,” Arcee said, pointing to the peak of the mountain in front of them.

“Oh, great,” Bulkhead muttered. “We’re gonna have to climb that thing, huh?”

“Yeah,” Arcee replied.

“And there’s ‘Cons at the top waiting for us?”

“Yep.”

The Wrecker bashed his fists together and grinned. “Last one to the top is Scraplet bait.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“Prime!” The incoming transmission to the Autobot Outpost Omega One was heralded with a beeping signal as Agent Fowler’s face flashed onto the screen. “Breaking news!”

Bumblebee skidded to a stop in front of the computer, buzzing and beeping excitedly.

“Huh?” Fowler’s face registered his surprise as he demanded, “Where’s Prime?”

Bumblebee tried to explain that Optimus had gone to find another relic, but his words were lost on the human, who pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

“Look,” he said, very slowly and carefully, as if Bumblebee couldn’t understand English. “Let ‘im know — I just received access … to satellite imagery … which I _believe_ pinpoints the center operations… of MECH.”

Bumblebee’s eyes widened with the realization, and he buzzed very slowly and deeply.

He began to talk again, asking the human rapid-fire questions in that speech of his, and Fowler’s face twisted in frustrated confusion as he threw up his hands.

“Oh, for the love of — Get me someone who speaks something other than bleep!”

“I can help!” Raf piped up eagerly from the human corner.

“What?!” Ratchet roared from the medical table, making them all jump. “Do I hear a Fuzor in need of voice box repair?!”

Ratchet was still waking up from stasis.

“What’s a … fuzor?!” Fowler yelled incredulously. “What’s goin’ on over there?”

All eyes went to Ratchet, who struggled to sit up on the medical table to address someone who was probably not there.

“I am able! Just ask Bantor! He wuz all mandrill before I putta … tiger in his tank!”

He flopped back down to the table again, and Agent Fowler was speechless with disbelief as he stared openmouthed at the scene unfolding.

In the silence, Bumblebee beeped up at Raf insistently.

“But, Bee, you heard what Optimus said about leaving the base,” Raf replied. Bumblebee responded with pleading gestures and buzzes that were hard to refuse, while Jack looked up at Agent Fowler, still on the screen.

“Send the coordinates, Agent Fowler. We’ll … make sure Optimus gets them.”

Fowler raised an eyebrow suspiciously at the boy, but he knew that both Nova and the Autobots were running out of time.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Nova felt the jarring pain in her back again as her body was flung up against a tree, and she hit the ground with a solid _crash._

“Had enough yet?” Coby asked from up above her.

She grunted in response as he lifted her up by the shoulder and shoved her against the tree’s trunk. “You know, if you were ever serious about winning this thing, you should have considered hitting me back once in a while.”

“I didn’t want to win,” she grunted, and used his arm on her shoulder to fling him around back into the tree upon which she leaned. He got up in rage as she deactivated her sword and choked out a kind of exhausted laugh. “I just wanted to distract you long enough.”

Coby swiveled his head around to look back at the base, and saw a golden colored figure advancing toward the huge doors in the moonlight.

“No!” He lunged forward, trying to race down the hill, and Bumblebee turned his head in surprise at hearing the noise.

“Coby, no!” Nova grasped him about the shoulders and wrestled him to the ground as Bumblebee looked up at the two of them.

“Bumblebee!” Nova called. “Don’t worry about me. Your t-cog’s inside! Watch out for Star—”

Before she could finish, Coby slammed his fist up into her face and knocked her off the top of him, sending her rolling along the grass uncontrollably.

Bumblebee, unwilling to wait, put up his own fists and began to beat down the door, punching it and bashing it until it gave way with a huge _crash_ and a cloud of dust.

“The project will be ruined,” Coby hissed at Nova, looking down at her. “And as usual, it’s all _your_ fault!” He formed his blaster on his wrist, turned, and began to stalk down the hill.

“No, Coby, stop!” Nova pushed herself off the ground as the sounds of bullets and screams erupted from the hole in the warehouse door. “You can’t go in there!”

He turned to look at her, a wild look in his eyes. “And _you_ can’t tell me what to do!”

His blaster swung around towards her as he unleashed a barrage of lasers in her direction, peppering the ground with red rage.

Nova felt herself beginning to lose her temper. Tackling him with a mighty lunge, she sent them both barreling down the hillside and tumbling into one of the smaller buildings adjacent to the main warehouse. The wall crashed in on itself as the siblings tumbled into it, warped and dented immediately from the impact.

“Coby! Stop!” Nova growled, pinning him to the ground as best she could, glancing up at the building before her. Through the hole in the door, she could see the flashes of gunfire and could hear the shouts and thuds of humans flying through the air. “Stop _fighting_ me! Don’t you understand?! Bumblebee needs that cog!”

“He’s a stupid robot!” Coby roared, writhing underneath her. “Let me _go_!”

“No!” Nova braced herself against his neck and pinned him to the dirt. “Coby, listen to me! Silas is using you. You will only be his second-in-command as long as you obey him. Do you understand? Defy him, Coby. Just once, refuse to do what he says, and see what happens! See how quickly he destroys you!”

With another roar of anger, the Omega Centurion muscled her off of his chest and kicked her viciously into the wall of the cliff before them.

The rock face crumbled around Nova’s limp body as she slid downward. Coby jerked her up by the neck, and she groaned aloud, her hands clutching feebly at his taut arm as it forced her upward.

“You can’t tell me what to do anymore,” he seethed, his grip getting tighter and tighter around her neck with every word. “You can’t run, and you can’t hide. I can find you anywhere.”

Wild-eyed, Nova gasped as she realized the way he had found her in the woods. She had tracked him across the country, and he had known where to find her. They could find her even under the protection of the Autobot base.

“You … you knew where I was?”  
“I can sense you anywhere, runt. The mechanical parts of us are connected through kinship. Silas tested it on us when we were kids, and he finished my training yesterday. If you’d stayed and followed his teaching, there would have been a lot of things you could have found out.” His eyes grew dark as he glared at her. “But you didn’t stay. You left, and joined the enemy. You think you’re some kind of alien-loving hero?” The Omega Centurion laughed harshly. “You’re nothing but a _coward_. You were afraid to face me here, weren’t you?”

Nova's eyes widened again. Summoning all her strength, she raised her feet off the ground and struck him full force in the chest, causing him to release her and fall to the ground.

“I _was_ afraid,” she said quietly as she stood over him. “Coming here meant that I would have to face my greatest fear — that I would have to kill you.” Tears began to run down her cheeks. “Prove me wrong, Coby.”

He glared at her as the MECH agents began to run out of the warehouse with Silas at their head.

“All units, regroup!” Silas called. “The area has been compromised. Fall back to rendezvous point.”

“Don’t go with them, Coby,” Nova pleaded again. “Come with me. You’re my brother! We can be a family again. Don’t make the wrong choice again. Please, Coby!”

He got to his feet before her, a look of hatred in his eyes.

“My name is not Coby,” he growled. “I am _not_ your brother, and we can _never_ be a family again.”

He turned away and ran to catch up with the group, and Nova watched them go up the hill and disappear from sight among the trees. There was an eerie silence as an owl hooted.

“Bumblebee,” she realized, and sprinted towards the warehouse.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

The medic’s eyes opened wearily as he came out of stasis, and he sighed softly as he sat up on the table and stood on his feet, walking towards the console in the middle of the base.

The three children were already there, standing at the railing attentively.

“Hey, Ratchet. How’re ya feeling?” Jack asked.

Ratchet, surprised, looked himself over and tested his joints and actuators tentatively.

“Fine,” he said in disbelief. “In fact, I feel as though … nothing’s changed.”

He was confused to see the children exchange glances between themselves, as if they knew something he didn’t, but he had no time to think about it. A beeping came from the computer, indicating that a message was incoming from Agent Fowler.

“Prime,” Fowler said, his face appearing on the screen.

“What is it, Agent Fowler?” Ratchet asked.

“Has Prime reached the coordinates?” Fowler demanded.

Ratchet screwed up his face in confusion. “Coordinates?”

“Possible MECH location!” Fowler explained frustratedly. “I sent ‘em a half-hour ago!”

Jack scrambled to answer. “Uh, don’t worry, Agent Fowler, it’s … taken care of.”

“Optimus had to go lock fenders with some ‘Cons,” Miko put in.

“So … Bumblebee went instead,” said Raf, with a nervous glance at the medic.

“What?!” Ratchet shouted, turning to the children. “Bumblebee can’t do that! He’s recovering from surgery!”

“About that,” Raf began, launching into the story.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Nova peered into the hole in the warehouse door, watching the events unfolding inside. Starscream, holding Bumblebee’s precious t-cog in one hand and his wicked red blaster in the other, stared down the golden scout with a malicious glare in his eyes. Behind them, which gave Nova quite a shock, stood a robot. A very large, Transformer-sized robot, with hands that seemed … familiar to her.

Where had she seen those hands before?

Bumblebee buzzed angrily at the Decepticon, threatening him in his makeshift voice, and Starscream grinned.

“Or you’ll what?” he taunted. “Shoot?”

Bumblebee’s eyes narrowed in a glare that would have fried the circuits of any electric computer, and Starscream continued goading him as Nova placed two fingers to the side of her head and crept inside, inching toward the main console.

“How sad, to be incapable of achieving vehicle mode,” he sneered, tossing the t-cog into the air and catching it mockingly. “Experiencing the sensation of speed? How very pathetic — to be a failure as an Autobot.”

Bumblebee’s glare intensified. Starscream had gone too far, and as he lunged at the Decepticon, Nova whispered into her comm-link.

“Ratchet, this is Nova. I know I said I wouldn’t send any transmissions to base, but this is important. Do you copy?”

“ _Nova? Where are you?_ ”

“I’m at the MECH base location which I told Agent Fowler about,” she said. “Didn’t he tell you?”

“ _I tried to tell ‘em, but these Auto-bozos were out on some relic-finding mission and the disabled kid went instead!_ ” Fowler’s voice on the other com link came into her ear loudly.

“Why did you send Bumblebee?” Nova hissed. “He and Starscream are about to go berserk over his t-cog, and he has no weapons yet! Ratchet, how soon can you get Optimus and the others over here? We need help right now!”

“ _I’ll contact Optimus now_ ,” came the reply. “ _They will be en route soon, but you and Bumblebee will have to hold out until they arrive. Make sure MECH and Starscream keep their hands off that t-cog!_ ”

“I’ll try,” Nova said. “I just — _OH, NO!!”_

“ _What is it? What’s happened_?”

Bumblebee had managed to knock the t-cog out of Starscream’s hands while Nova spoke to Ratchet, but as the cog had shot through the air, nearly landing in the Autobot’s very grasp, the Decepticon had taken aim, fired, and hit the t-cog squarely in the center, blasting it out of the air in a burst of fire and smoke.

With a sickening crash, the smoldering, blackened t-cog landed directly in front of Nova’s hiding place, and Bumblebee raised his head from where he had fallen on the floor to look at it in despair.

“Time to jet, because I _can_!” Starscream shrieked, leaping out of the hole in the warehouse roof and shooting into the sky.

Brokenly, Bumblebee fell to his knees in front of his precious transformation device and picked it up gently in his hands, his eyes trembling in sadness.

Nova stood stock-still for a moment, murmuring to herself, “No, no, no…”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Starscream transformed in midair and landed directly in front of Silas in the midst of the trees as the MECH leader looked out upon the quiet of the warehouse.

“My t-cog?” Silas asked the Decepticon, noticing that his hands were empty.

“Yes, that,” Starscream said indifferently, looking out at the base with his hands on his hips. “Unfortunately, it was destroyed during the ferocity of battle.”

Silas’ brow lowered and hid his eyes in shadow as he glared at the Decepticon, with the Omega Centurion at his side.

“Eh, a temporary setback,” Starscream excused himself nervously. “Other Autobots; other T-cogs. We shall find a replacement soon enough.”

“Not ‘soon enough’,” Silas replied as his soldiers raised their stun weapons. “Now.”

The weapons charged up, and soon the torturous sounds of Starscream living up to his name echoed through the forest and reverberated through the hills.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Nova placed a hand on Bumblebee’s foot gently. “Bumblebee, I’m … I’m so sorry.”

There was no response. The scout could only stare at the cog in his hands in hopeless silence, not even bearing to look at her.

“Ratchet can repair it,” Nova said, trying to put confidence in her voice. “I know he can. He’s an excellent physician. You’ll see.”

Somber buzzing and beeping interrupted her.

“Don’t say that! Just because Ratchet couldn’t fix your voice box doesn’t mean he can’t do better. He’s capable of more than you know.”

The scout whirred in a robotic sigh, his wings drooping in resignation as Nova stood in front of him.

“An Autobot isn’t defined by whether or not they can transform, Bumblebee,” she told him. “You’re an Autobot because of what’s inside your Spark; not what you can do with your wheels. That’s what we’ve been trying to tell you this whole time.”

He beeped once, the saddest sound she’d ever heard him make before.

She shook her head. “You _are_ valuable, Bumblebee. Don’t you understand? We need you. We need your spirit. Your determination. Your ability to joke when things are hard. The Earth needs you, and the team needs you, but Raf needs you the most … and you know it’s not because you can drive.”

He turned his gaze upon her, and the look in his face told her everything. He had lost a part of himself, and with it, he had lost all of his hope.

Nova sighed, and sat down next to him. “Well, if it helps, you aren’t the only one who thinks of yourself as a failure, Bumblebee. I’m a failure, too.”

He beeped a resopnse, fingering his cog tenderly, thinking of what could have been different, somehow, someway, if he had just done better.

Nova looked around at the warehouse searchingly. All the computers were dead; she assumed that the MECH agents had crashed the hard drives before they evacuated, according to their methods. Then, she peered up at the unfinished robot in the back of the base. She did not know how they had built it, but she definitely knew what it was for. Silas was planning to manufacture an army of these — an army which could only spell doom for humans and Autobots alike.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

The Groundbridge opened in a swirling portal in the darkness of the warehouse courtyard, and Optimus charged through, along with Arcee and Bulkhead.

Seeing that the facility was abandoned, the Prime removed his battle-mask and proceeded to approach the building, which had a blackened, warped hole in its doors.

Out walked Bumblebee, cradling his t-cog in his hands with utmost care, his wings drooping in sadness. A half-spark trotted somberly at his feet. He beeped sadly as the three others gazed upon the device in his hands.

Optimus placed two fingers to the side of his head. “Ratchet, reopen the Groundbridge, and prepare for surgery.”

“Thanks to me, Megatron’s got the Forge,” Bulkhead bemoaned.

“While we would have put the Forge of Solus Prime to valuable use,” Optimus replied. “I do not believe we have reason to fear Megatron’s possession of it.”

“Why not?” Arcee asked.

“Because a relic such as this one can only be activated by the power of the Matrix of Leadership,” Optimus explained. “And thus, only a Prime can wield it.”

The Groundbridge bloomed behind them as Bulkhead chuckled. “Huh. I guess Megatron’s figuring out all he got his hands on was just another heavy hammer.”

Nova looked from one to the other of them. “What are you all talking about?”

“The Forge of Solus Prime,” Arcee replied. “It was the latest relic the ‘Cons took. It has the ability to make or repair anything we can dream of, as long as Optimus holds it, of course.”

“But it’s gone, and all we’ve got is a broken t-cog to show for it,” Bulkhead groaned again as they walked into the Groundbridge. “This has been a long day.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Later, as the Autobots gathered around the medical table in silence, Ratchet closed the vital scanner on his arm and turned away from Bumblebee slowly.

“I — did what I could,” he said quietly, looking at the ground. Optimus came forward and placed a hand on the medic’s shoulder.

“Our scout could not have been in better hands, old friend.”

“And we didn’t stick with Plan A and let Ratchet donate his cog why?” Miko asked Jack quietly, from where the four humans stood on the ground.

“Bumblebee wouldn’t accept it,” Jack replied.

They all looked up as a groggy buzzing noise came from the table and Bumblebee tried to stand up on his feet.

“Bumblebee, easy!” Ratchet cautioned.

The scout, however, beeped in confidence and rolled his shoulders, striking a pose as he told the medic that he felt just fine.

“Please, recovery takes time,” Ratchet warned, gesturing his hands uselessly.

Bumblebee held his arms out in front of him readily and tried to transform, the plates shifting on his body slightly. But the plates bounced back to where they had been before, leaving him to beep out a question as he looked at himself in confusion.

“The damage was … severe,” Ratchet said gravely, shaking his head.

But the scout would not give up. He tried again, activating his t-cog once more, and when the plates shifted and failed to change he slumped his shoulders in sadness.

Then, in a final effort, he clenched his fists, tensed his whole body and tried for the last time — and finally, the familiar _whrr-tchz-tchz-tchz-chk_ noise resounded through the base as he transformed into his vehicle form and triumphantly revved up his engine. A huge smile broke out on Ratchet’s face as Bumblebeebeeped to Raf, who whooped for joy and laughed aloud along with the other kids.

Bumblebee screeched his tires as he turned around and opened the door for Raf, buzzing and honking his horn.

“Anywhere!” Raf replied in elation, breaking free of the joyous group and jumping into the passenger seat. “Just — drive!”

Bumblebee obliged, his rubber tires churning up smoke as he tore out of the base, Raf waving from the front seat.

“Go easy!” Ratchet called after them, letting loose a laugh of unconfined joy. “Adhere to standard break-in procedure!”

“Whoa,” Bulkhead chuckled in amazement. “Bee’s t-cog looked like it was ready for the scrapyard.”

“Hard to believe the doc repaired it,” Arcee said admiringly.

Optimus looked at the jubilance of the medic before him, then at the half-spark at his feet. “That is not all that Ratchet repaired today.”

Ratchet stood with his hands proudly on his hips as the others looked on, their pride evident as well.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“And when did this start happening?” Ratchet asked the girl on the medical table.

“I think a little before Unicron came,” Nova responded, trying to hold still under the scanner. “When you took Synthetic Energon, remember?”

Ratchet sighed. “Yes, I remember.”

“I felt pain in my side, where you were hit by Megatron,” Nova said, looking up at the ceiling. “And when Unicron began to wake up and Optimus got hurt, it was … horrible,” she continued, trying to force down the memory. “But when Bumblebee got his T-cog removed, and after that, when he fell off a cliff, I could feel all of it. It was like I knew what was happening to him, or something.”

“Interesting,” Ratchet said. “It seems our battlefield injuries affect you.”

“Yeah, I think so.” Nova sat up as the scanner switched off. “Do you know why?”

Ratchet turned to her. “I do not know for sure, but as far as I can tell, you gained this new ability after Optimus exposed you to the energy of the Matrix,” he said.

“So?”

“Let me finish. It is said that the Matrix is supernaturally linked to every Spark on Cybertron, and when you received a portion of its power, apparently you were endowed with the ability to feel when a Cybertronian is in danger.”

“But why can’t I feel when a Decepticon is hurt?” Nova asked.

Ratchet folded his arms on his chest. “That’s the part I don’t understand,” he replied, mostly to himself. “But if I had to guess, I’d say that you have this … _precognition_ only if your friends are in danger, specifically the ones close to you.”

“You’re all close to me,” Nova said.

“Which means that at any given time, the combined weight of five severe injuries could kill you.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If y'all haven't read Tapestry part 1, then you're prolly lost. Go read that one first!  
> But thanks for reading this one!
> 
> If you guys have any REQUESTS for side stories, or for different stories altogether, please TELL ME in the comments! I'd love to hear from you all!


	4. Loose Cannons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Wheeljack comes back to Earth, and Nova is forced to make a heartbreaking decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this chapter is actually super heavy, even for me. We're talkin' death and destruction and all kinds of awful stuff, but it's not bad?  
> I dunno, just read it. 
> 
> and NOW, our EPIGRAPH:
> 
> "Sweet is true love though given in vain, in vain;  
> And sweet is death who puts an end to pain:  
> I know not which is sweeter, no, not I.  
> Love, art thou sweet? then bitter death must be:  
> Love, thou art bitter; sweet is death to me.  
> O Love, if death be sweeter, let me die.  
> ...  
> I fain would follow love, if that could be;  
> I needs must follow death, who calls for me;  
> Call and I follow, I follow! let me die."
> 
> -Alfred Lord Tennyson

_Beep beep beep._

“ _PRIME!! What in blazes are your people doing out here_?!”

Nova covered her ears at the volume of Agent Fowler’s voice as it erupted out from the computer.

“ _We had an agreement!_ ” Fowler continued as the Autobots gathered around. “ _No collateral damage!!”_

“I am sorry, Agent Fowler,” Optimus denied, gesturing to the Autobots around him. “But all Autobots are present and accounted for.”

_“Then explain to me why I’m receiving reports of two jumbo-sized ‘bots mixing it up twenty miles outside Ohio?”_

“Decepticons?” Ratchet inquired.

“There has been a lot of infighting lately,” agreed Arcee. “Megatron can’t seem to keep his ranks in line.”

_“I’m just arriving on the scene,”_ explained Fowler, leaning back in his jet cockpit seat restraints. _“Have a look._ ”

An image of a miniature war zone popped up on the computer from the aerial view of the helicopter. The camera zoomed in on one opponent, obviously a Decepticon, but a Decepticon who looked familiar to Bulkhead.

“I dunno,” he said. “Paint job aside, it can’t be Skyquake. You and Optimus pounded him into the ground.”

“Before Starscream yanked him back out as some kind of undead Terrorcon,” Arcee pointed out. “The question still stands; who’s the dance partner?”

“Who’s Skyquake?” Nova asked.

“Later,” Ratchet said, fixing his eyes on the image as it zoomed in on the other Cybertronian, who ducked behind his ship to return fire against the Decepticon.

“By the Allspark! It is one of ours!” Ratchet realized.

“Wheeljack?” Bulkhead laughed and slammed his comrades forward. “He-hey! Jackie’s back!”

_“I don’t care if Abraham Lincoln’s back!”_ Fowler yelled angrily. _“We have to contain this situation before we all wind up on the eleven-o’clock news!”_

His face blipped out of sight, and Nova turned to Ratchet reproachfully.

“I thought you turned the volume down.”

“I _did_ ,” he replied.

“So what do we do?” Nova asked.

Optimus set her down on the platform. “Ratchet will remain at base and monitor communications,” he ordered. “The rest of us will aid Wheeljack.”

“Great!” Nova scrambled down the stairs and skidded to a stop in front of the Groundbridge. “Now I finally get to meet the Wrecker Miko’s always telling me about.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

The first thing Nova saw when she stepped out of the Groundbridge was a warrior kneeling on the ground in the darkness, a blast mark fresh on his shoulder, and as the team split up to surround the mysterious Decepticon, she saw Agent Fowler’s jet hovering overhead.

The Decepticon began to fire ruthlessly upon Bulkhead and Optimus, who were charging down the grassy strip to his left, making the night air light up with flashes of red laser fire. Bulkhead returned the attack with a few shots of his own, and Nova, running by Optimus’ side, saw the warrior withdraw as the two Autobots reached the fallen wrecker.

“Jackie!” Bulkhead cried, reaching down to support Wheeljack, who grunted when his arm was touched. Optimus looked at the two of them, ensuring that the warrior would last, and Wheeljack looked up at him.

“What took you?”

Meanwhile, Arcee and Bumblebee were taking heavy fire near the gasoline station, but were able to hold their own, and the Decepticon retreated to hide behind a building when he noticed a jet airplane flying overhead.

“That will do,” he said, and Nova saw two green laser beams shoot out of his eyes as he scanned Fowler’s plane, and Fowler’s irritated voice came over the comm-link.

“ _Aaugh, not this again_!”

Once the scanners had done their work, Dreadwing retracted them back into his eyes and began to run in the opposite direction.

From Nova’s position, Wheeljack drew his blaster and leapt to his feet. “Oh, no, you don’t!”

“Wheeljack!” Optimus warned.

“Jackie, no!” Bulkhead shouted, but it was too late. Wheeljack opened fire on the Decepticon, and one of his lasers hit a fuel pump underneath the roof of the old station.

It was a magnificent explosion, the plume of vibrant fire billowing hundreds of feet upwards, and through the flames, the Autobots saw the Decepticon’s new winged form blast out of the smoke and streak off into the sky with a fading roar.

Wheeljack tried to pursue the jet with his blaster shots, but the Decepticon was too fast, and disappeared into the night.

“Dreadwing rigged the place to blow,” he said, frustratedly deactivating his blasters as Bulkhead came to his side.

“Dreadwing?” Bulkhead asked, but was interrupted by Arcee.

“Actually, that was your handiwork, Sparky,” she said, scowling up at him.

“It’s called a gas station,” explained Bulkhead. “Kinda like an Energon depot. Doesn’t mix well with blaster fire.”

“Huh. Well, our ‘Con’s getting away,” said Wheeljack, turning to go.

The Wrecker was halted by Optimus, who stood directly in his path. “Wheeljack, there are other considerations.” His voice became grave. “While upon this world, you would do well to follow my lead.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Back at the base, Wheeljack squirmed and jerked away from Ratchet’s welding flame.

“Ow! Take it easy, Doc. I need that arm.”

“Hold still and maybe you’ll _keep_ it,” Ratchet responded, turning on the welder again.

Wheeljack turned to Optimus as the medic resumed his work. “Look, Commander, apologies for the fireworks. Won’t happen again. But I’ve tracked Dreadwing across a hundred lightyears of space.”

“I thought you were roaming the galaxy, yunno, searching for Autobot refugees,” Bulkhead said.

“I was, ’til I found one,” Wheeljack responded, bowing his head. “A Wrecker.”

“Who?!” Bulkhead asked excitedly.

“Seaspray,” responded Wheeljack, with no joy in his voice.

“HA!” Bulkhead roared in glee. “How is ol’ Barnacle Butt?”

“Not so good, Bulk,” responded his friend, looking up again through the sparks of the welding flame. “Blown to bits, actually.”

“What?” Bulkhead stepped back, appalled. “No.”

“Dreadwing,” Optimus realized.

Wheeljack began to tell the tale. “My flyer, the _Jackhammer_ , picked up his signal a couple of light years from Madera. We made contact, and arranged a rendezvous in the Dromadon system. But Dreadwing must have intercepted the transmission, ‘cause he got to Seaspray first.” He paused. “Proximity bomb. Supposed to take us both out. Guess I should be glad the Jackhammer can take a punch. I picked up Dreadwing’s ion trail; tracked him through a dozen solar systems before catching up with him. I shot him down, and he led me right back to this marble.”

The flame of the welder flickered in the reflection in his eyes as he paused again. “Some coincidence, huh?”

“I know of this Dreadwing,” Optimus said. “He was captain of a Seeker armada, and, as such, like his twin brother Skyquake, fiercely loyal to the Decepticon cause. Dreadwing has no doubt traveled to Earth to pay allegiance to his one true master.”

Wheeljack wrestled out from under Ratchet’s hands once again and got to his feet. “Hope he’s enjoying the visit, ‘cause it’s gonna be his last,” he said, making a fist.

“Ugh,” Ratchet groaned impatiently.

But Optimus had other ideas. “Wheeljack, this planet is heavily inhabited. Any strike we make against the Decepticons must be carefully measured, as a _team_ , lest we risk endangering the human population.”

Nova nodded at this, but Wheeljack wore an expression of anger on his face.

“Are you suggestin’ we just sit back and do nothing?”

“You! Loose cannon!” Agent Fowler’s voice erupted from the human corner as he marched past Nova and over to the railing closest to Wheeljack. “Your cowboy antics almost blew our cover!”

“Cover?” Wheeljack asked, confused.

“We’re robots in disguise, Jackie,” Bulkhead explained. “You need an Earth-based vehicle mode outside of here.”

“That spaceship you shot down?” Fowler growled, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. “ _Not_ Earth-based! I had to jump through some big hoops to get it hauled outta plain sight. You need to keep a tighter leash on your people, Prime!”

“A tighter leash?” Wheeljack said, turning toward the human angrily. “Lemme clarify, Tiny.”

“Jackie…” Bulkhead warned.

Wheeljack lowered his face so Fowler could see its expression clearly over the railing, and spat out his words. “I’m not one of Optimus Prime’s _people_.”

He stalked away angrily, leaving Fowler scowling in his wake.

“I’ll talk to him — uh, with your permission,” Bulkhead said to Optimus.

The Prime nodded. “Of course.”

Fowler put his hands on his hips. “So, the new guy has a problem with authority.”

“Wheeljack and Bulkhead served together in the Wreckers,” Optimus explained. “A commando unit that operated outside the normal chain of command.”

“Hm. Black Ops,” Fowler said distastefully.

“They accepted missions no one else would, and many of them did not come back.”

Fowler sighed. “Look, I get this guy’s a Bot with some pretty big chops, but I need you all to tell him he needs to rein in the stunt show before our cover gets blown. I’m already on a knife’s edge with General Bryce up at the fort. If this happens again, who knows what the head honchos might decide to do with you.”

“Understood, Agent Fowler,” replied Optimus, and the human turned to go, disappearing as the elevator doors closed with a _chunk._

“Optimus,” Nova said, walking past Bumblebee to stand next to her guardian. “I have to talk to you about something.”

“A matter concerning your brother?”

“Yes. Did I tell you about what happened last night?”

“No.”

She paused. “Coby can … well, I think he can _sense_ my presence, Optimus. It’s not anything that has to do with frequencies or homing devices — this is something else. He can track me anywhere, and I’ve no idea how far his range goes, or how soon he will be aware of my position. He might know where I am now. So, until I’m sure the threat has passed, I am taking myself out of commission and leaving the base, to prevent the endangerment of anyone else.”

Optimus thought for a moment. “Are you certain that the Omega Centurion possesses this ability?”

“Yes. But it’s still new. He may not be as adept at using this ability as he could be.”

Optimus looked at her. “You will face him alone?”

She took a deep breath. “Optimus, MECH preys on Cybertronians like you. If I’m discovered with any one of the Autobots, you know they have the technology to severely harm whoever’s with me. I can’t put anyone else at risk.”

“I understand,” the Prime replied, a grave look on his face. “However, I am concerned that this may turn into a revenge mission, given the circumstances.”

“No. I don’t want to take revenge. I just want to keep everyone safe. If the protection of the world means destroying MECH and my brother; so be it. I’m not allowing them to take any more innocent lives.”

Optimus considered. “You will remain in contact?”

“I’ll have to give you messages via Agent Fowler, otherwise they can track my signal back to base.”

He looked at her in silence for a moment. “You make an honorable decision, Nova,” said he finally. “However, I do not wish for you to place yourself in danger so that we might be saved.”

She straightened her shoulders. “Optimus, MECH crossed a few big lines when they kidnapped Jack’s mom and Raf, and when they stole Bumblebee’s T-cog. They need to be put in their place before they put anyone else in danger.”

She looked at him pointedly. “If I have a chance to stop this, once and for all, I have to take it.”

The Prime knew she was right. “You cannot fight a war alone. Isolation is the greatest weakness of any warrior.”

Nova sighed, and straightened her shoulders. “I won’t be alone,” she said cheerily. “I’ll have Fowler in my ear the whole way. I should be fine.”

Optimus considered.

“Very well,” he said finally. “Inform Ratchet of the coordinates, and contact Agent Fowler as soon as is safe.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“ _New Hampshire_?” Ratchet asked incredulously. “Why in the world would you want to go there?”

“Umm… Hiking trip?”

The medic snorted. “You’re going after MECH again, aren’t you?”

“Optimus said I could.”

“That doesn’t give you the excuse to go and try to kill yourself.”

Nova frowned. “Why are you so sure I’m going to die?”

“Do you not remember what happened the first time?” Ratchet gestured to her side. “You almost _died_ , and then, less than a week later, you almost lost your ability to transform! Who knows what might happen this time around? What if MECH alters your mind so you turn against us? What if they pull you apart limb from limb and torture you? What if they got their oily claws on Dark Energon, and they try to reformat you into some sort of Terrorcon freak?”

“You aren’t scaring me, Ratchet.”

“No, but _you’re_ scaring _me_. Do you know how dangerous it is going after your brother like this?”

The half-spark cocked her head. “Is this what you’d tell Optimus if he was about to face Megatron one-on-one for the last time?”

“Absolutely, yes.”

“I have to stop this, Ratchet,” Nova replied. “It can’t be helped.”

He sighed. “How do you know if you’ll even come back?”

She hesitated, and looked down at the floor.

“Well?” Ratchet demanded. “What if you don’t come back?”

“I don’t have to come back.” Nova raised her head again. “I just have to go.”

Ratchet was silent for a moment, staring her in the eyes. Then he grumbled, and began to key in the coordinates.

“Fine. But just in case, I’m putting a coordinates and vitals tracker on you, just like everyone else. And this time, young lady, if you get hurt, I’ll fix you up and then kill you myself.”

“Duly noted, Ratchet. Thanks.”

“‘ _Thanks_ ,’ she says.” The medic snorted as the Groundbridge portal blossomed in the tunnel where Nova stood. “‘Thanks so much, Ratchet, for letting me go and kill myself. I really appreciate it.’” He snorted again. “This is a disgrace to my title as a medic.”

“Goodbye, Ratchet,” Nova said, taking a step forward. “You’ll say goodbye to the kids for me, won’t you?”

“Come back, and tell them yourself.”

“I knew you cared.”

She disappeared as a flash of light into the Groundbridge, and Ratchet was left alone. At least, he was, until Optimus came in. 

“Optimus, I can’t say I agree with your decision to let her go into that … that _cesspool_ of savagery again.”

“I have my own misgivings as well, old friend,” the Prime replied, standing with him at the computer and looking out at the two other Autobots as they departed to retrieve their human allies. “But I believe Nova has grown stronger in the weeks past, and this is something she must do.”

“But why does _she_ have to do it? She’s a human, remember. Granted, she’s a cyber-human-hybrid with powers we don’t even know about yet, but she is still a child, and she’s fighting her own war at such a young age. Primus, it’s bad enough she’s fighting in our war! Are you sure this is wise?”

Optimus was silent for a moment. “I cannot be sure of many things in the coming days, Ratchet. But Nova’s deeds may likely serve to fulfill a greater purpose: to build and fortify the bridge between humans and Transformers — a relationship we have long been striving to create. And, while MECH may not be defeated by her power alone, her brother remains their most powerful weapon, and if she succeeds in turning his alliance, this world will be all the safer for it.”

“I still don’t understand why I can’t just give that human a good piece of my mind,” Ratchet muttered. “ _That_ might change his alliance very quickly.”

“Perhaps,” Optimus said, smiling slightly. “But Nova’s persuasion remains the only option for changing his mind, and I will not condone the destruction of any human, MECH soldier or otherwise, until all her efforts have been exhausted.”

Ratchet looked at him. “You mean she really is on her own in this one?”

Optimus shook his head. “No. If she contacts you, and if you have reason to believe she is in danger, then I will not rest until she is safely returned home.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

In the cleft in the rock outside the silo that night, Wheeljack leaned against his mini starfighter, the _Jackhammer_ , while Bulkhead approached him in concern. 

“Jackie, look. Even if it weren't for the humans, we couldn't take on the Cons right now. We're outnumbered.”

_I can’t believe this._ Wheeljack turned to him with an indignant glare on his face, and began to list off the names of their fallen team members. “Roadbuster, Pyro, Impactor, Rotorstorm, Seaspray — all dust.”

“That’s what I'm talking about,” Bulkhead agreed. “Wreckers are Autobots. There just aren't that many of us left.” He looked to the ground for an instant in sad remembrance of their team as it once was, but the confidence built in his voice as he continued. “But if we get behind Optimus, we have a chance to end this, once and for all.”

Wheeljack smirked. “Guys like Optimus, they talk a good game, but when you're in the scrap, they don't want to get their hands dirty.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Bulkhead said seriously. “You don't know Optimus like I do. Being a Wrecker meant everything to me, but I left that behind—”

“—Because Prime was the real thing blah, blah, blah.” His partner rolled his eyes.

Suddenly, both of them heard a beeping alert pinging from inside the ship. They both went inside to investigate, and heard a surly voice growl out:

“ _Wheeljack, I know you're out there, listening. I have a proposition for you._ ”

Bulkhead stared at the communicator. “Is that?—”

Bracing his arms against the chair, Wheeljack leaned toward the computer. “Dreadwing."

“ _Meet me at these coordinates, if you have the Spark_.”

A point of red light shone on the global map inside the cockpit, a place Bulkhead recognized as West Virginia.

Wheeljack grinned. “I’ll see you there, Con, just to watch you fry.”

The communicator snapped off, and Wheeljack began to adjust the controls as Bulkhead looked over his friend’s shoulder.

“Jackie, it's a trap,” he warned.

“I know, but when has that ever stopped me?” Wheeljack replied, casually adjusting the flight settings as the engines hummed to life. “You coming with?” he asked brightly.

After a moment of consideration, Bulkhead eased into the copilot’s chair next to his partner. “At least let me call for backup.”

Wheeljack chuckled. “You know Wreckers don't call for backup.”

Bulkhead smiled, and they both shouted out the old Wrecker motto:

“They call for clean-up!”

They slammed hands, and a few minutes later, the Jackhammer blasted out of the cliff and rocketed out away from the silo, leaving the base far behind in the night of Nevada.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

The forest was quiet that night, except for the normal noises which so characterized it — the rustling of leaves, the buzzing of insects, the cries of owls — and through the patches of the foliage Nova could see stars peering down at her as if to wish her good luck. She looked closer, and realized that the three glimmering points of light were those of Orion’s Belt.

She sighed. _Why am I stalling with myself?_

“Fowler? Agent Fowler, can you hear me?”

“ _You’ve reached Special Agent William Fowler. I am currently on an intensive training retreat, and unavailable until Tuesday.”_

Great.

“Coby,” Nova said into the night, listening to the leaves rustle above her head. “I know you can hear me. I know you’re close. It’s time we ended this.”

There was a silence, and then, borne along to her mind like the wind in the leaves came a shadow of a thought as Coby responded:

_So be it … traitor._

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Wheeljack trod lightly on the undergrowth of the forest as he spotted the dark figure ahead, glinting slightly in the evening light.

“I wasn’t certain you’d come,” Dreadwing said, turning to face him with a sneer on his face.

“I don’t like unfinished business,” the Wrecker replied, holding his hand at the ready next to his hip grenade. Dreadwing did the same as well, and an intense silence followed. The two warriors, tensed for action, glared at each other with their hands at the ready, coiled and waiting for who would make the first move.

Suddenly, Dreadwing flung out his three-pointed grenade into the air, streaking directly towards the Wrecker, and Wheeljack did the same, hurling his green grenade straight. The two explosives collided in midair in a flash of smoke and fire, triggering a huge explosion which blew the two combatants backward.

Dreadwing recovered his footing, peering into the smoke. Within seconds, Wheeljack emerged, sprinting towards Dreadwing and leaping into the air with his swords drawn and glinting in the moonlight.

“RAAUGH!” Wheeljack roared, falling out of the air and landing solidly, his swords embedded in the ground where Dreadwing had stood mere seconds ago. The Decepticon, instead of staying and returning blade for blade as Wheeljack had expected, turned on his heel and began to run in the opposite direction. Wheeljack, ripping his swords out of the ground, slid his facemask over his mouth and gave chase, brandishing his blades threateningly.

Dreadwing leaped over a dip in the ground and began to slide down the earthy hill, with Wheeljack close behind him, and when they had reached the bottom the two combatants found themselves in a sort of valley, with solid walls of rock and earth bordering either side. Running on just before the Wrecker, Dreadwing pulled out his remote detonator and pressed the activation button with a sneer on his face.

Wheeljack, just behind him, leaped into the air just as a grenade exploded directly off the cliff face to the side of him, clearing the blast with a victorious shout.

“Is that all you got?” he taunted as he hit the ground running, and another grenade exploded off of the right wall, causing him to halt for a split second to avoid incineration. Once the fire passed, however, Wheeljack continued the chase, and pursued Dreadwing right into a dead end, the end of the valley.

_Finally, we got him cornered._

Wheeljack removed his battle-mask and looked upward to the top of the hill. “If you’re thinking about flying outta here…”

“…Think again,” Bulkhead finished from above, drawing his blasters and leveling them directly down at Dreadwing.

Dreadwing turned to face his attacker, looked Wheeljack in the eye, and smiled.

An uneasy feeling arose in Wheeljack’s mind. _Something’s not right._

The Wrecker’s gaze shot up to where his friend stood with his blasters drawn, and spotted something he hadn’t seen before. A grenade, planted by Dreadwing beforehand, was set directly underneath Bulkhead’s position, and it was rapidly beeping.

“Bulkhead!” Wheeljack burst out, but his warning came too late. The grenade exploded in a plume of red flame, and the unstable cliff on which Bulkhead stood crumbled beneath his feet.

“GEEEAAGH!” Bulkhead roared, slipping and sliding down the slope with the mountain of rocks. Openmouthed in shock, Wheeljack flung up his arms instinctively to cover his face and bent under the crushing weight of the rockslide, instantly buried in the rumbling darkness.

Dust rose from the valley as Dreadwing shot out of the pit in his aerial mode, but he transformed and landed solidly on the earth above the mound of rocks a second later, proudly surveying his work.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Nova started out of her doze as she heard a twig snap next to her ear.

“Coby!” She leaped to her feet, her armor ready, and flung out her blasters into the face of her attacker…

… and startled a very nervous squirrel, who immediately dropped its acorn and scurried away into the darkness with a flash of its tail, leaving Nova to put a hand to her head wearily.

“Never thought I’d see the day where Nova Makutan got her socks knocked off by a rodent,” a voice chuckled out of the bushes surrounding her.

“So you _are_ here,” Nova said, holding her blasters at the ready. “How long have you been hiding?”

“Long enough to figure out that you _still_ don’t snore,” he replied. “Seriously, I’m surprised that you could sleep with all this tension. Just proves my point that you’re one of the most boring people I’ve ever met. Just like those people in the sticks. Remember them?”

“Is that supposed to insult me?” Nova asked, swiveling her head to scrutinize every bush in the clearing. “I’ve been called worse by you.”

“You’re right. Let’s just settle for me calling you a poor excuse for a stupid metal puppet full of treasonous filth and leave it at that. Seriously, you’re not worthy to even lick the bottom of my boots.” Her opponent paused. “I could insult you more, but there’s kids reading this.”

“What are you talking about?” Nova frowned. “Come out where I can see you. Let’s just get this battle over with.”

“I agree. That’s enough of this witty banter,” said the Omega Centurion. And with a rustle of bushes and a snapping of twigs, he came out into full view. “Y’know, that bush is disgusting. I think I’ve got some _bugs_ in my suit for sure.” He brushed himself off and shrugged. “Better not say anything to upset ‘em. You know how bugs are.”

“What are you _talking_ about?” Nova asked again, preparing her weapons for fire. “You’re saying things that make no sense.”

“Well, that’s ‘cause I was distracting you,” he responded, lifting his forearm and pressing a red button on his gauntlet.

A beeping sound suddenly pinged directly in Nova’s ear, and she twisted her head to see a red flash pulsing on her right shoulder-blade.

“Sticky grenade!” Coby said cheerfully, leaping back into the bushes.

“No!” Nova reached up with her arm and tried to dislodge the explosive, but the rapid steady beeping assured her that it was too late.

The grenade exploded with a _BOOM,_ and flames erupted off of the half-spark in fury. The forest undergrowth around her burst into flames with a _WHOOSH_ , and Nova was knocked downward with the impact of the blast. Her visor was filled with smoke.

“First rule of combat,” the Omega Centurion remarked, appearing before her crumpled body through the smoke. “ _Never_ sleep on the job.”

“First rule of winning,” Nova grunted, getting back to her feet. “Never — stay — _down_!”

She sent her fist flying into his face, and it connected with his jawbone with a violent _crack._ He reeled back from the impact, stumbling away from her and whipping out his sword.

“You idiot,” he muttered. “I was trained for five years by Silas himself. He knows every military and martial arts secret in the book!”

He rushed at her, and Nova felt the swish of the air just before he struck her a mighty blow with his sword, sending her body spinning into the ground and her head snapping back on her neck.

“ _Auuugh_!”

“Exactly,” Coby said, delivering a perfect kick to her gut and smiling at the sound of her body hitting the nearest tree. “ _Augh_ is just what I expected to hear from you, ‘cause you have no idea what you’re doing.”

He stood above her with a gloating stance and swept his sword back above his head as she struggled to push her shaking body away from the tree. “Tell me, Alpha Sentinel, while you were so busy being a traitor and fraternizing with the enemy, who did _you_ run to for guidance? Who was the one who expelled your greatest fears? Who took the time to train you and teach you how to fight like a warrior? Who did you have to help you?! Who did you have to make you _strong_?!” His voice lowered and he hissed through his teeth: “I’ll tell you the answer. You had _nobody_.”

His sword whistled as it descended out of the air and streaked towards Nova’s face, but Coby was shocked to find that his blade was caught between the palms of her hands, held trembling before the ferocity of her eyes.

“That isn’t true,” Nova said, a battle-mask sliding over her mouth as her hands trembled on his blade. “I’ll tell you who I had.”

She brought her knee up to Coby’s wrist and slammed the sword out of his grip, tossing it to her left hand and unsheathing her own blade with her right. Her hands reached up and held the laser-edged blades directly at his neck as she answered:

“I had Optimus Prime.”

He groaned. “Seriously.”

Coby knocked her swords away and delivered a savage left hook into her jaw, sending his sword flying out of her grip and her body reeling back as he snatched it out of the air and held it before him. “You should shut up once in a while. You’re so dramatic!”

“Come on, then,” Nova beckoned, whipping her sword out at her side. “This has gone on long enough.”

“I agree,” Coby answered, and lunged at her throat.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“Optimus?” Ratchet called. “Come and look at this.”

“What is it, old friend?”

“Nova’s vital monitors began to spike a few minutes ago,” Ratchet explained, pointing to her ID on the computer. “She’s still in her Groundbridged location, but now she’s becoming more active.”

“Are there any known assailants in her immediate area?” Optimus inquired.

“Yes. One. I’m detecting an intermittent Spark signature directly located at her position. It could be the Omega Centurion, or else—”

“She could be facing a Decepticon,” Optimus finished.

His face grew grave as he turned towards the Groundbridge. “I am going after her.”

“Wait, Optimus,” Ratchet called, an urgent tone in his voice. “For the moment, Nova’s Spark integrity and her vital levels are holding steady. In the meantime, there’s something else you need to see.”

He pointed to another location on the map, where a familiar green facial ID popped up.

“Bulkhead’s signal,” he said. “Over a thousand miles from here. And I would have to assume that Wheeljack is with him.”

“Have you attempted contact?”

Ratchet turned to look at him. “No response.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“Ugh!” Nova shuddered, reeling back after a blow to her face.

“I mean, as much as I enjoy our weekly get-togethers, we both know it’s getting old,” Coby said matter-of-factly, rearing back his laser-edged blade. “I’m here to kill you. _Again_. Help me out this time, will you? Silas really wants this thing done.”

“Good … luck,” Nova said, leaping to her feet and wrenching the sword from his grip. With a swing from her arm, she turned and hurled it away into the forest, the little blade spinning through the air and out of sight.

“Hey!” Coby said. “You stupid — someone’s gonna find that!”

Nova sprang forward and hit him in the face, jabbing and striking him wherever she found an opening. Her attacks were enough to drive the Centurion to his knees, and she did not stop.

“You — can’t — harm — innocent — people!” she shouted, louder and louder.

He reached up and caught her fist, wrenching her arm backwards and causing her to twist her body in agony.

“Yes, I can,” he said hatefully. “It’s fun.”

She grunted, roared down at him, and snapped her arm out of his grip, slamming him in the face with her fists.

“ _Nngh_!”

He fell to the ground, dazed, and Nova stood above him in furious triumph.

Unsheathing her blue-edged sword, Nova placed the humming blade to her brother’s neck, and she glared down at him.

“Go ahead! Kill me!” the Omega Sentinel roared, spit flying from his mouth. “C’mon! Do it! What are you waiting for? Kill me!”

“I have _every_ reason to do so,” she snarled at him.

“But you _can’t_ do it, can you?” Coby sneered, pressing her blade against his neck tauntingly. “You can’t hurt me. I’m a helpless captive, and I’m your brother, besides. You’re too much of a goody-two-shoes for any of that.”

“You would kill me without hesitation,” Nova growled, gripping the hilt of her sword tighter.

“Because I _hate_ you. Killing you would be a privilege.”

He pushed her sword away, grunted, and raised himself up on his elbows, looking at her with the most insolent smirk plastered on his face. His casual posture made Nova furious.

“You think this is some kind of game—”

“You know something?” Coby interrupted in a low voice. “It would be good to kill all those other little punks you hang out with, too. I could mount their heads on a wall — have a gallery of trophies. Like that one little kid I captured a while back. What was his name…” He pretended to think. “Ah! You call him Raf, don’t you?” Coby smiled. “It would be so fun to hear Raf’s little neck snapping under my—”

“Stop!” Nova roared, her face filled with rage. “You aren’t my brother! You’re a monster!”

“Finally, you understand,” he chuckled.

“Just _stop_ it!” Nova cried. “Stop with your hateful words and your hateful life! You are _awful_! You’re killing and fighting for the people who tortured us, and you call it _fun_! How can you say that? How _dare_ you?!”

He looked up at her, his eyes full of wretched malice. Her brother was truly gone.

“Face it, coward,” he hissed. “If you let me live today, I’ll never stop. First, I’ll visit Rafael’s house, and I’ll kill his whole family, and then I’ll move on to that Jack fellow —” he chuckled. “— Our _cousin._ Yeah, I know he’s our cousin, Alpha Sentinel. And I’m gonna kill him. _Slowly_. Do you hear me? I’ll kill them all when you least expect it!”

“Why?” Nova hissed through clenched jaw.

“Because they aren’t worthy of life! They’re lower lifeforms! There are only machines left in the future now, and this whole world will be rid of the idiot humans’ stinking flesh if it is the _last_ thing I do!”

“Don’t say this!” Nova pleaded, the tip of the blade trembling in her hands. “Coby! Don’t say this!”

“I’ll do more than say it. You think you’ve won?” His eyes were wild. “Right now, Silas is building Project Chimera. He’ll have it ready any day now. He’ll use a big robot to destroy your little alien friends, and then he’ll help me move on to the humans. Any man, woman, or child who refuses to acknowledge his authority will be destroyed!”

He grinned evilly as a crackling sound came out of the forest. “And I will be the one who sends them to their deaths!”

Nova’s head twisted to the side, and there, standing in the the trees to their left, stood a human. He was a tall, thin man, with tousled brown hair falling over his forehead and round, dirty spectacles perched precariously on his nose. His disheveled hiking clothes were plastered with mud. In his hand, he held a child’s rumpled red hat.

He spoke timidly. “Excuse me, but have you seen a little girl — Oh!” His eyes widened when he saw the sword in Nova’s hands.

“AND I’LL START WITH THIS ONE!” Coby roared, the blaster forming on his wrist. He swung his arm out to aim at the man, and Nova realized what he was about to do.

“Coby, no! _No_!!”

The man gasped.

The blaster fired.

Nova, screaming, stabbed the sword downward.

Harmlessly, the laser shot glanced off of a tree and thudded into the dirt a few yards away, as Nova’s blade pierced through the armor of the Omega Centurion.

His roars were suddenly silenced. The sword trembled as if it was appalled to be buried so deeply into Coby’s chest.

Nova fell to her knees.

“How could you?” She began to weep, and the tears rolled down her face and dripped into her helmet. She beat the ground over and over with her fists, collapsing into her wrenching sobs. “How _could_ you?”

The man backed away, his face pallid and terrified.

Nova looked up at him from the ground, her lips mouthing silent words as she sat back on her ankles and deactivated her armor.

She looked down at her hands. “He — I couldn’t — I didn’t…” she stammered, sobs racking her shoulders. “What have I _done?_ ”

“S-stay away! Don’t hurt me,” the man pleaded, holding his walking stick before him protectively.

Nova no longer saw him as he retreated through the bushes. She no longer recognized anything. Her listless eyes were fixed on the body of her brother lying before her.

Then, a voice came.

“Thanks, sis,” said Coby softly, shocking her out of her daze.

“Coby!”

She scrambled over to him and knelt by his side, seizing his hand and clutching it in her own.

“H-Hey, not so hard,” he grunted. “I’m dying here.”

“Coby, I’m sorry — I’m so sorry.” She swallowed shakily and choked with sobs. “Why did you do it? How could you?”

“I — I told you before. T-tried to warn you. There’re bugs in my suit, sis. In my brain, really.”

“What?” Through her blurry tears, Nova saw Coby’s mask slide away. “What do you mean?”

“I didn’t want you to — to come fight me, you know,” he said softly, knuckling her in the chin. “You big dummy. Always walking into traps.”

“Coby—”

He raised a finger to stop her. “After our last fight, I … I did what you said. I defied Silas. And … heh … and you know what?” He chuckled painfully, wincing. “It was pretty fun.”

Nova pressed his hand to her cheek and hung on his every word. Because, in this moment, she could see that she finally had her brother back.

“What did they do to you?” she asked.

“Ol’ Silas … he found out I knew where your base was … and he wanted me to tell him where. But I didn’t do it. And that old buzzard… didn’t like that I wouldn’t … obey him, anymore. He ordered his guys to implant some new gadget in here …” He tapped his skull with his finger. “…in my head, you know how they are.”

Nova nodded into his hand. She knew.

“It was supposed to make me angry,” he murmured. “So … so terribly angry that I couldn’t control myself. But _they_ could. I had to do whatever they said. Anyway, I … don’t remember much of what happened afterward, except that it felt so wrong, being controlled like that. Like I was living in a prison that grew smaller by the minute. When I heard you calling for me I — I had to go. The chip forced me to.But …” He raised a finger. “I knew something they didn’t. If I could die … somewhere in the brains I had left, I knew that if I died, it would destroy … the control device.”

“Then you said all that — you _did_ all that — just so I would kill you?” Nova asked.

“No, sis,” he rasped. “The c-control device was already working at full strength by the time I got here … controlling everything about me. I’m sorry, but … I meant every word. That’s why you had to do it.” He gripped her hand a little tighter. “You _had_ to, otherwise I would have killed everyone.”

Nova felt sick as she realized what she had done. “Coby, why didn’t you _tell_ me?” Then she shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. We can help you. We’ll get it out. Just — just stay with me. You hear me? Stay with me. I’ll get Ratchet and we’ll—”

“We can’t, sis,” he said sadly. “The only way the chip will be deactivated is if I’m dead. It’s wired that way… hooked up to my heart, you know.”

He shuddered. “Y-you know when I almost s-shot that random guy? I didn’t do that to make you k-kill me. That was what the bug made me do. ‘Course, I _missed_ on purpose, but …” He coughed, and Energon spurted from his mouth. “I … found myself believing in everything I said, about killing Raf and Jack and everybody. And now, thanks to you, I don’t anymore. I can’t tell you how good it feels … to think like myself again. It’s worth it. Even if … even if I’m dying, it’s worth it, sis.”

“No,” she growled, stifled sobs choking up her throat. “We’ll figure it out. We can make it, Coby.” Her tears fell faster. “Cobalt Makutan, do you understand me? It will be okay!”

The Omega Centurion’s head rolled back to look up at the sky.

“Cobalt Makutan,” he murmured with a smile on his face. “I like that name.”

“I like it too, Coby. So does everyone else. Hang in there, do you _hear_ me?!”

“Skipper.” Her old nickname. His voice was barely a whisper now. “Skip, I gotta ask you something.”

She listened intently. “Anything, Coby. Anything at all.”

“Skip, will you … forgive me? Will you … will you remember me like I was?” His eyes shifted down to his chest. “Before all this?”

Nova met his eyes and gritted her teeth.

“Yes,” she said firmly. “Yes, Coby, I will. I forgive you.” She swallowed. “I _love_ you. And … and we’ll laugh about this later, you’ll see — we’ll tell Optimus all about it when we get back, and everything will be fine—”

He looked up at her one last time, with a smile that stopped her heart. “Th-thanks, sis. Love ya.”

Nova felt his grip on her hand weakening, and her pleas became more frantic.

“Coby — Coby, wait!”

“I’ll say hi … t-to Mom and Dad for you,” he said.

“No! no, don’t say that, Coby! … _Coby_?!”

There was no answer. The leaves rustled in the wind above her head, and the greying sky was visible through the patches in the foliage, but the half-spark saw nothing — heard nothing. Her whole body was numb, and she felt so, so cold.

She was alone.

“Oh, no, no, _no_ …”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

The rocks in the huge sloping pile shifted and rumbled aside, and Cybertronian hands lifted boulders away to expose their victim in the growing darkness.

“What took you so long, Bulk?” Wheeljack grunted, his head and shoulders emerging from the pile. “Don’t tell me your ridin’ with Prime has made you—” He looked up at the one who had helped him escape.

“—soft?” He reached up and grabbed the hand that was offered to him, allowing Optimus Prime to pull him free from the landslide. The rocks and loose pebbles skittered down the slope and fell to the ground around them.

Once the Wrecker was back on his feet, Optimus spoke.

“If you will not take orders from me, that is one thing,” he said firmly. “But when you place one of my Autobots in danger—”

“With all due respect, sir, Bulkhead knew the risks,” Wheeljack said, dismissing the Prime’s rebuke. “Now, I’m … sure he’s just somewhere in this rubble.”

He turned back to the slope of fallen rocks, but whatever effort he intended to take was interrupted by Ratchet’s voice cutting through Optimus’ comm-link.

“Optimus, Bulkhead’s signal has moved from your current position.”

Wheeljack turned around. “You coming with?”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Shaking, uncontrollably shaking with fear and rage and sadness and nothing, Nova reached up and pressed the comm-link on her ear.

“R-Ratchet?”

“ _Nova? We haven’t heard from you,”_ His voice was so familiar, urgent but friendly, and Nova drank the sound in with everything she had.

_“Where are you?”_ he asked. _“Are you all right?_ ”

“I — I —” Nova choked, her face crumpling. “I—” Her body fell to the ground next to her brother’s, unable to lift itself anymore.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Minutes later, Optimus found himself crammed into the little cockpit of the Jackhammer in the passenger seat next to Wheeljack, the pilot. The Prime’s body was bent forward in order to accommodate his large shoulders, nearly bent double in the small ship.

His fingers drummed on his knees idly as they rode in silence. The ship hummed beneath the floor as it flew through the air and neared the coordinates provided by Ratchet, the signal of which was pinging on the little map.

Optimus turned to Wheeljack finally, and tried to make conversation. “You and Bulkhead share quite a history, and yet you prefer to work alone.”

“The Wreckers scattered a long time ago,” Wheeljack replied grimly, keeping his eyes ahead. “And alone’s usually a lot less complicated.”

“Hm.”

Optimus considered all the times when he had to be alone. Even in the days when he was a simple data clerk in the middle castes of Cybertron, he was very lonely. Still, unlike the Wrecker at his side, Optimus had not been alone by choice. Optimus knew that Wheeljack, suffering from the deaths of his fellow Wreckers of late, was pushing everyone else away in an attempt to protect himself, but in reality he was making himself more vulnerable. Optimus had seen many Cybertronians fall victim to their own sadness several times before. What was going to prevent Wheeljack from doing the same?

Minutes later, the Jackhammer touched down in the location of Bulkhead’s signal; an unmanned dock with wild mazes of containment boxes stacked high enough to conceal Transformers, both living and dead.

Leaving the ship at a secure destination and exiting the Jackhammer, Optimus and Wheeljack walked cautiously through the mazes with their weapons cocked.

“We are close to population,” Optimus reminded the Wrecker. “Remember—”

“Blasters and fuel pumps don’t mix,” Wheeljack finished, glancing down at the scanner. Bulkhead’s signal pinged straight ahead of them.

“Our boy is just up ahead,” Wheeljack reported shortly.

They rounded the last corner, and started back in shock as they beheld Bulkhead before them.

“Hey, guys,” Bulkhead grunted.

His huge arms were pinned above his head by electric restraint cuts, buzzing and flashing above his weary face and the wired grenade beeping on his chest. The numbers were counting down.

The grenade was three-pronged. It was Dreadwing’s.

“Scrap,” said Wheeljack.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“Nova!” Ratchet burst out of the Groundbridge, medical kit in hand, and roved over the quiet forest with his eyes, his trained optics immediately spotting the two human bodies before him. Both were lying senseless on the ground. One was clothed in armor. The other was leaking Energon freely. Nova’s sword was thrust into his chest.

“Primus,” Ratchet breathed, and scooped up both humans as quick as winking. He leapt back into the Groundbridge as quickly as he had come, leaving no trace of the events that had happened there except a pool of Energon mingling with the tiny streams of tears that had been left behind. 

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“You really got yourself into a heap of scrap this time, partner,” Wheeljack observed matter-of-factly.

“Stay back, Jackie,” Bulkhead warned, the bomb pinging on his chest.

Wheeljack ignored him, concentrating on the explosive.

“Better get to work,” he said.

Optimus watched him unlock the center of the bomb and expand the compartment zone, revealing the myriad of crossed wires inside.

“Have you defused one of these before?” Prime asked.

Wheeljack looked over the explosive with a practiced eye. “Fail-safes, dummy leads, booby traps,” he observed in appreciation, his eyes widening. “It’s a work of art.”

What the three of them did not know, at least for the moment, was that Dreadwing, a short distance away, was watching them from above. His com link crackled. It was Megatron.

_“Dreadwing, where are you?_ ” he demanded.

“Merely pursuing my destiny, Lord Megatron.”

_“Did I not order you to stand down?”_

Dreadwing turned away from the sight of his victims to speak into his wrist. “Forgive me, one true master, but it is my hope that vanquishing Optimus Prime will earn your respect.”

_“Optimus is not so easily disposed of, as I keep trying to all of those who foolishly attempt it,”_ Megatron replied patiently. His tone of voice clearly indicated an eye roll.

Below, on the ground of the docks, Bulkhead was still trying to convince Wheeljack to back down.

“Jackie, if you don’t abort, we’re both gonna need clean-up.”

“Trying to focus here, Bulk,” Wheeljack growled, his hands hovering over the bomb’s wires.

Bulkhead looked behind his partner. “Where’s Optimus?”

Wheeljack turned around. Sure enough, the Prime was gone. He scoffed.

“Like I told you,” he said. “When the scrap hits the fan blades, the generals are the first to bail.”

“No,” Bulkhead said grimly, his frown deepening. “Not Optimus.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Meanwhile, on the bridge of the Decepticon warship, Megatron listened to the loyal, prattling fool go on about his destiny over the comm-link.

“I assure you, master, in but a few moments, Optimus and two others will be blown to atoms,” Dreadwing said firmly.

Megatron hid a smile. Dreadwing had no idea. Normally, Megatron would eradicate any soldier who defied his orders in such a way, but Dreadwing had exhibited such loyalty that his behavior could be excused. For now.

“I will allow it, Dreadwing, in memory of your departed twin, but only this once,” Megatron said graciously.

The com link shut off, and Megatron turned to speak to Soundwave, who stood silently behind him. “I will be quite surprised if we ever set eyes upon Dreadwing again.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Dreadwing terminated the com link conversation and turned to look at his victims again. Any nano second now, the explosive would go off. He would be rid of three of the Autobots, the greatest pestilence to ever walk the galaxy. He would show them. He would avenge Skyquake, his brother, and destroy the Prime once and for —

Optimus Prime was nowhere to be seen.

“Where is the Prime?” Dreadwing growled in frustration, his eyes roving about the crowded dock, looking for any sign of movement.

Then, out from the mazes of the storage containers, Dreadwing heard the voice of the Prime.

“Dreadwing,” it called out boldly. “If you are anything like Skyquake, I know that you value loyalty and honor.”

“Is there a point to your bluster, Prime?” Dreadwing roared back.

Down on the ground, Optimus pressed himself up against the shipment containers as he entreated to the Decepticon above him. “Only that Megatron knows nothing of those principles. He lives solely for destruction, and conquest. But there is another way,” he said. “Deactivate the bomb.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Ratchet laid the two half-sparks on the medical table and examined the boy. The wound from the sword blade had directly pierced his half-heart, and the regenerative factor of his body had not been able to compensate for the damage. He was already dead.

Nova, on the other hand, was showing signs of life, but she was also showing signs of severe shock. Her face was pallid and cold, her breath too shallow and too fast, she was shaking. Ratchet could tell from the monitor in his wrist that her Energon pulse was far too rapid, even for her small size.

“Nova? Primus help us all.” He bent down to her. “Nova, can you hear me? For Primus’ sake, human, wake up!”

“Ratchet?” Nova opened her eyes and turned her dirty, tear-stained face to look up at him. She was trembling uncontrollably now.

“How do you feel? Are you injured? What happened to you out there?”

Nova did not answer him, only stared with glassy eyes at the stilled figure beside her.

Ratchet looked too. “Oh,” he said, understanding. “Your brother.”

She did not say anything; she just stared. And stared.

“Nova,” he said, trying to get her attention. “I’m sorry.”

“Ratchet, I — I don’t understand,” she murmured, her voice soft. “Aren’t you going to fix him?”

“Fix him?” Ratchet looked at the boy beside her, and removed the body from the table gently. “Nova, I need you to listen to me, all right?” He bent down to her eye level. “His vital monitors show no signs of life. I’m afraid he’s … gone.”

“No. No he isn’t!” she said feverishly, almost excitedly. “He was just talking to me a little while ago. In the forest. Y-you can fix him, Ratchet … Can’t you?”

Ratchet looked her in the eyes. “Not this time, Nova.”

She sat there for a moment, listless. Then her face contorted, and a tear dripped out of the corner of her eye.

“Oh, Ratchet, I _killed_ him!” Nova cried aloud. “I killed him! I killed my own brother, and I could have done something else — I could have stopped it! He was going to shoot the guy, and I didn’t want him to, b-but I didn’t know Coby was being controlled! C-Coby wanted me to kill him, Ratchet! But I could’ve brought him back another way. I could’ve — I — I could’ve…”

“Easy, Nova,” Ratchet said. “It isn’t your fault.”

“Ratchet, I killed him, didn’t I?” Her hands were trembling. “I could’ve stopped it, but I killed him. I’m no better than he is. I’m a _murderer_.”

“If that were true, would I have come to get you?”

Nova was silent, but the tears streamed freely down her face as she trembled.

“There was nothing you could do, Nova. You are not at fault for your brother’s evil; trust me, I’ve had this conversation with Optimus before. Sometimes, the hardest things in life are the things we _must_ do, whether we like them or not. You had to do this. And in the end, what’s done is done.”

Nova’s tears fell faster. “I thought my whole family was dead. I thought everyone I loved was dead! Then, you Autobots found me, and I found out Coby was still alive, and … it made me so happy.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “And all I wanted to do was just … _talk_ to him, one last time. Just to have him for a brother, _one last time_. Now he’s gone, and it’s all my fault. What should I do, Ratchet?” She looked up at him pleadingly. “Tell me what I should do!”

She burst into fresh tears, not for the last time that day.

Ratchet knelt beside the medical table and waited for her sobs to ebb. “Nova, listen.” He paused a moment, remembering. “A very annoying … very wise young human once told me that sometimes, the best thing to do is give every effort, and move on. Learn from the experience, mourn your past, yes, but also use it. Make Coby’s sacrifice _worth_ something. Blaming yourself will lead nowhere.”

Nova sniffed, swallowed, and looked at the body of her brother below her. “Ratchet, what have I done?”

Ratchet sighed. The signs of Nova’s despondency were very clear. At this point, no amount of reasoning could take away the pain she felt at her brother’s death, and perhaps never would.

So, he sat next to her on his own medical table and let her cry.

“It’s going to be all right,” he said. “You have to believe that.”

Nova shuddered, and swallowed. “I-I’m so — I don’t —”

“Shh.” He looked down at the Autobot symbol adorning the floor of the base in front of them. “Just have a good cry, Nova. When these things happen, tears are good. Tears are fine. They’re practically a prerequisite. You go ahead and cry, because if you don’t cry — if you don’t grieve — then it just hurts and rots you through.”

His voice grew a little more gruff as he spoke to her, remembering all those they had lost before Coby Makutan had ever lived. “Do you hear me? Cry, Nova. It’s all right.”

The half-spark did cry. She leaned over Ratchet’s hands and buried her face in his fingers, sobbing with all the grief in the world. Surprised, the medic opened his hand and allowed her to rest her head upon it, though he tried to hide his reaction.

“No need to get sentimental,” he grumbled, then softened his voice as she continued to sob. “Hm. Never mind.”

The half-spark sobbed out something he couldn’t hear very well.

“What was that?” Ratchet asked.

She made the noise again, and he could have sworn it sounded like a growl.

“It hurts,” she said softly, shuddering with the tears.

Nova said nothing after that. She had no more words.

“You’ll pull through, half-spark,” Ratchet said softly, listening to her sob. He looked at the body of her brother, laid down before them. “You’ll make it, in the end. I know you will.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Dreadwing opened fire on the storage containers, scattering lasers and explosions left and right, and Optimus, feeling the heat of the flames on his back, found himself hard-pressed to keep out of the way, and he dodged and sprinted with great agility as he heard the Decepticon roaring behind him.

_Follow,_ he thought. _Follow me. Come on._

Sure enough, the blaster fire came closer as Dreadwing leapt after him in full pursuit.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“Get out of here, already,” Bulkhead urged Wheeljack, who was still attempting to defuse the bomb.

“I didn’t leave you on Sandakan, and I’m not leaving you here,” Wheeljack said stubbornly.

The bomb pinged faster and faster as the timer counted down.

“Face it,” Bulkhead growled. “There’s only one bot who can defuse this mess, and his name’s Dreadwing.”

Wheeljack ignored him and looked over his shoulder, listening to the explosions nearby.

“Blaster fire’s getting closer,” he muttered. “As if the commander — _ugh!_ ”

He grunted and fell back as Bulkhead broke his restraints and rammed into him.

“Sorry, Jackie. It’s ‘cause I love ya,” Bulkhead said, and began to charge toward the edge of the dock.

The deep water of the ocean spread out before him in a big blue sheet, calm and still as peace itself. He was about to change that.

“Sorry, fishies,” he groaned, and he charged onward, trying to leap into the water and cushion the blast to save his friends.

Suddenly, he felt someone ram into his chest.

“Bulkhead, wait!” Wheeljack shouted, pushing up against his partner desperately, trying to slow him down.

“Outta my way!” Bulkhead growled. He charged forward even more forcefully, pushing Wheeljack’s body before him.

Wheeljack grunted, and shoved back, harder. “Will you … _listen_ to me, Bulk?!”

His feet scraped over the concrete as he threw his entire weight into Bulkhead’s oncoming force, managing to stop his charge a few inches from the dock’s edge.

“You were right,” Wheeljack said firmly. “Dreadwing’s the only one who can defuse it.” He looked over Bulkhead’s shoulder. “And Optimus knows it, too.”

Bulkhead turned around. Behind them, swinging above the dock and crates, stood a tall loading crane, and climbing up it steadily was the small figure of Optimus Prime.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Dreadwing paced over the ground in pursuit, his feet clanking on the cement of the dock, his powerful laser cannon swinging from his hands. He would find the Prime. He had seen him go this way. Here, in the midst of the petty humans’ construction, there was nowhere for him to hide. The one responsible for his brother’s death would surely perish on this day. He swore it to himself. He swore it to Skyquake. The Prime would perish.

The Decepticon, lost in his angered thoughts, did not hear the swinging cable creaking in the air above him, did not hear the clank of the crane shifting into position, and only looked up above him as the roar of the Prime rang out clearly, and the heavy clamp came crashing down on his chest.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Optimus stepped off of the clamp resting on Dreadwing’s chassis, and Bulkhead and Wheeljack ran up behind him as the Decepticon looked around in furious bewilderment.

The Prime kicked the handheld cannon out of Dreadwing’s reach, and stared down at him coldly.

“Dreadwing, defuse the bomb or fall victim to your own device,” he said, never breaking eye contact. Bulkhead looked increasingly nervous as the bomb pinged faster.

Dreadwing looked up at Optimus cooly. “I will gladly sacrifice myself to avenge my brother,” he said.

“Then we will, in turn, gladly join the Allspark with our brother,” rejoined Optimus, for Cliffjumper had been killed by Decepticons almost a year ago.

“ _And_ with you,” Wheeljack said, folding his arms stubbornly. “You’ll never shake us.”

An epic stare down ensued. Optimus and Wheeljack, unrelenting, set their jaws and silently stared down at Dreadwing, who glowered sullenly back, and the numbers beeped on the bomb as it counted down. Bulkhead groaned in trepidation and screwed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the impact that was sure to come. Wheeljack and Optimus stared, grim-faced. The seconds ticked down: seven … six … five … four… three …

“Very well,” Dreadwing said, relenting. He reached up with his hand and pulled the blue wire out of its seating, and the timer on the bomb slowed to a stop, with two mere seconds to go.

“Whew!” Bulkhead said, sagging in relief.

“I had it narrowed down to the blue or the yellow,” Wheeljack said confidently, glancing at the bomb with his hands on his hips. “Or the red.”

Optimus, still looking down at Dreadwing, saw an almost imperceptible movement of the Decepticon’s hand. He had pressed the button on his detonator.

The Prime reached over and shoved his Autobots down to the ground as the explosions from the containment units all around them blossomed into the sky.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Ratchet looked at the alert showing up on his wrist communicator, and turned to look at Nova at his side. “Why don’t you go out to the cliff?” Ratchet suggested. “I’ll call your aunt and … prepare Coby’s body for burial.”

Nova sniffed, her eyes glazed over. “I don’t want June to come here yet,” she said huskily. “I don’t really want to see anybody.”

“Then go out to the top and take a breather,” he said, as gently as he could. “I mean it.”

“Do I have to?”

“Yes. Off you go.”

Staggering slightly, Nova walked up the stairs to the elevator and stepped in, and as the doors closed before her, she looked at the crack of narrowing light and shoved the tears back from her cheeks.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Wheeljack stood up from his crouching position and stared out at the flaming wreckage of the containment dock. He put his hands on his hips.

“So, who do we call for clean-up?” he inquired.

Bulkhead groaned. “We’ll have to do this ourselves,” he said, ripping off the dud bomb on his chest.

“No,” Optimus said. “The human repair teams will undoubtedly arrive to survey the damage. Agent Fowler will need to handle the appropriate negotiations.”

“Huh. Then let’s go home,” Bulkhead said. “I’m beat.”

He looked back at Wheeljack. “You comin’?”

His friend glared out at the fire sullenly. “The Con got away.”

“I know. I know he did. But he got away with the idea in his noggin that Optimus isn’t someone he wants to mess with,” Bulkhead said. “And neither are we.”

Wheeljack placed a hand on his chin, as if studying a work of art.

“Yeah,” he said finally. “Guess you’re right, Bulk.” He turned away and walked between them to approach the parked Jackhammer. “C’mon. Hope Prime likes confined spaces.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Nova sat on the ledge of the cliff, her armor glinting in the light of the rising sun, and she glared sullenly out at the bare landscape of Jasper Nevada, spread before her and glaring right back in the silence.

_What am I doing here?_ she asked herself. _I don’t belong here. I don’t belong anywhere._

The sun began to sink over the horizon, and the shadows began to lengthen, streaking the landscape with black strips. Nova, wincing, clenched her fists and pulled her knees up to her chin. Her body trembled, but her mind was phasing in and out of reality, and she found herself alternately thinking about nothing, everything, and Coby, over and over again.

_Why am I here?_

“Father?” she whispered. “Father? Are you there? I don’t know what to do.”

She put her head down on her knees against the light of the setting sun, and wept.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“Optimus Prime still lives,” Megatron said in mock weariness in response to the warrior kneeling before him on the warship’s bridge. “As do you, Dreadwing,” he continued. “And that is a victory however small, as Skyquake so tragically discovered.”

Dreadwing frowned as he knelt in penitence. “Speak to me not of my twin, Lord Megatron, for I am here to obey your will, and yours alone.”

Megatron, turning to look upon the Decepticons’ newest elite member, felt a slow, sinister smile growing on his face.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

In the Autobots’ base, meanwhile, the Groundbridge powered down, and Ratchet observed the goings-on surrounding the visiting Wrecker, who was approaching Optimus with a more humble attitude.

“Listen, Commander,” he said. “I just wanna say it was an honor watching you work. I, uh, think maybe I had the wrong idea about you.”

“And it would seem you put a greater value upon community than you otherwise let on,” Optimus replied, holding out an inviting hand.

“Whoa, let’s not jump the gun here,” Wheeljack said, holding up his hands and backing away.

Bulkhead shoulder-rammed him playfully. “Come on, Jackie. If you leave, you’ll probably just wind up coming back again. All that wasted fuel … and Energon _is_ in short supply…”

“Then again, we do have limited space,” said Ratchet gruffly from the Groundbridge controls.

Wheeljack was hesitant. “Not sure if I’m ready to give up my freedom just yet,” he said. “Maybe I could do some exploring; see if this rock suits me.”

“Uh, no offense to the Jackhammer,” Bulkhead spoke up suddenly, “But you’re gonna need an Earth-based vehicle mode.”

“Let’s go get one,” his friend replied.

They thundered out of the base, intent upon finding a new vehicle mode for one such as Wheeljack, and when they were gone, Optimus turned to Ratchet.

“Dreadwing may be a Decepticon loyal to Megatron,” he said, “But despite this, he seems to be receptive to our ideals.”

“Mmph.”

Optimus’ eyebrows lowered. “Does something trouble you, old friend?”

Ratchet sighed. “Nova came back.”

Optimus knew from his tone that something was deathly wrong. “What happened to her? Was she harmed?”

The medic turned to look at him. “Her brother’s dead, Optimus.” He pointed to a little, lumpy bundle on the medical table, shrouded in a sterile white cloth.

The Prime was silent for a minute, staring at the bundle with a grim expression on his face, then in a voice he did not use often, he said: “Where is she?”

“Outside, on the rocks,” Ratchet said, and after a pause he spun around before the Prime could leave, launching into his rant. “Optimus, do you finally understand what I’ve been saying? It’s only a matter of time before these things happen. The humans cannot be dragged into our war. MECH wouldn’t have altered Nova or Coby, or sent him after us, if we hadn’t sent our Energon reserves out here in the first place. Don’t you see? This life is wrong for her. It’s wrong for all of them! Nova has been in constant emotional denial since her parents died, and she refuses to let herself grieve, and yet we expect her to fight beside us as hard as she can in _our_ war until it takes something from her again? This all happened because of _us_ , Optimus!”

The Prime did not respond with words, but simply turned to look Ratchet in the eyes.

Being one of his closest friends, and since he knew what to look for, Ratchet knew there was always a remnant of this immense grief present in Prime’s gaze, in his voice, but Optimus usually kept it hidden. Only sometimes could it be seen by others; only if he allowed it, but when he was tired, it showed easily. It showed easily now. As he met his friend’s gaze, the medical officer could see that Optimus was in just as much pain as Nova, the burden of sorrow weighing so heavily on his Spark.

“She is outside?” Optimus asked.

Ratchet nodded. “Yes.”

He turned to the door. “I will return soon.”

“Fine.”

Optimus transformed, and drove in his truck mode through the manual exit, out to the lift which would take him to the top of the base, and his engine sound faded in the distance.

Ratchet sighed, and looked at the shrouded form in the medical bay with a haunted look in his eyes.

“Optimus,” he murmured. “How many more funerals will we have, before this is all over? Is this what it looks like to take our stand? To sacrifice innocent lives? How many innocent lives is this war worth?”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Optimus Prime approached the forlorn little figure on the edge of the cliff, the wind in the valley shielding the sound of his steps clanking on the dusty rock. It was dark, but he could still see her trembling on the barren rock. The land around them for miles was shrouded in murky shadows, as if her grief was contagious, and it certainly seemed to be that way from the blackness of this night. The clouds rolling in choked up the night sky, and not even the power of the moon could pierce their dreary thickness. 

Hesitating for a moment, Optimus looked down at Nova and considered the wisdom of drawing near to her at this time. He had heard about humans’ grieving cycles. Apparently they came in stages, and it would be insensitive to do something to disrupt the system. There was the initial denial she was supposed to have, the anger, the bargaining, and the depression before the eventual acceptance, and he did not know if there was anything he could do without interfering. She was supposed to cope on her own, was she not?

Then, he looked at her again. She had no idea he was standing behind her, and her tears flowed freely. Her shoulders shook, her armor was removed and her brown braid whipped around her shoulders as she buried her face into her knees. This was the first time she cried in his presence. Optimus had seen her hurt, and he had seen her terribly angry, and he had even seen her smile, but he had never once seen her cry.

He forgot about the grief. He forgot about the stages. Nova had never coped or faced the reality of her family’s death before, and she was different from most humans, anyway. The most insensitive thing for him to do right now would be to leave her when she needed him the most.

So Optimus Prime sat down beside the girl and gently picked her up in his hands.

After a moment of shock, Nova looked up at him in silence. As she stared into her guardian’s eyes gleaming above her, Nova’s face contorted like it does when someone cannot hold tears in any longer, and she began to cry afresh.

Every one of her sobs tore at Optimus’ Spark; every shudder of her body deepened the wound in his spirit. He thought of the deaths he had suffered with his teammates; that of Cliffjumper, Tailgate, and Elita One, among so many others. They had all taken a toll on his teammates, and this was no different. But Nova had no one to grieve with. She never had.

So, he shielded her from the wind with one hand and held her close with the other, just sitting; just listening. There was nothing to be said.

Nova, huddled on her knees in his grasp, looked up at her guardian and felt the comforting warmth of his hand, and the solidity of his strength around her. Gradually, her tears slowed, and stopped, and dried on her cheeks, and her sobs subsided to shuddering breaths. They sat together, quietly.

As the minutes passed, the night deepened, the wind died down, and the land grew silent again. Wiping her face, Nova shuddered with the cold and sat up in his hand to look at him.

She sniffed. “Why’d you come up here?”

Optimus looked at her. “Because it is not good for you to be alone.”

“So you heard about what happened?”

He hesitated. “Do you … want to talk about it?”

Nova sighed, and in the now-silent night it was a very clear sound.

“I killed him, Optimus. I didn’t _want_ to. He was about to shoot a man, I don’t know how it happened, and I know I shouldn’t have done it, but in the moment I didn’t know what else to do. He—” she shuddered. “He was _talking_ to me in the forest, Optimus. He told me that he wanted me to forgive him for everything he’d done — he _thanked_ me. He thanked me for killing him and setting him free from Silas’ mind control. He called me sis, for the first time in a long, long while. He even told me he liked hearing me say his own name again. Right before he died, he said…”

Nova felt another tear running down her cheek as Optimus listened, and she bit her lip to keep from crying again. “Right before he died, I heard him say the words I thought I would never hear again. And when he left, I think a part of me died, too.”

Optimus said nothing. He had not interrupted or protested throughout her entire rant, and after a moment of thought, he drew her closer and turned her face up to look at the sky with one finger.

There, shining bravely out from a ragged gap in the clouds, dangled a single, gleaming star, solitary in the night. Its brightness seemed to drive away the gloom around it, and though it stood alone, it flared out with pure, undaunted light, a piercing beacon in the darkness, and it was not overwhelmed. On the contrary, the choking darkness surrounding the star only seemed to make it shine all the brighter, and the robot and the girl stared at it together for a long time.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was super sad, but tell me what you thought!


	5. Crossfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Starscream has difficulty surviving, Megatron has to fight an Insecticon, and Nova has to fight the public school system.  
> What?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, there! Here's another chapter up because I feel like it!
> 
> Okay, I know the last chapter was super depressing, but I did give you fair warning!
> 
> But I promise, it's going to get better. 
> 
> This story's like life, you know, you have good chapters and bad ones and awful ones, and then you have ones that make you love to be alive, and those are the best!
> 
> And NOW  
> Our EPIGRAPH:
> 
> "'Cause your scars shine like dark stars  
> Yeah, your wounds are where the light shines through"
> 
> -Switchfoot, "Where the Light Shines Through"

“Wait, wait, wait, start over,” Miko said. “ _What_ happened?”

“Nova’s brother died,” Jack replied patiently. “Last night. Ratchet’s asking my mom to come over and take her to our house for the night, so they can talk about a funeral and stuff.”

“June’s coming here?!” Miko asked in a panic, clutching her hair in hands. “Quick, we’ve got to hide all of our unsafe fun stuff!”

“What do you mean?” Raf asked. “All we’ve got is the TV.”

“Yeah, but you never know when she might want to put an axe through it,” Mink said sinisterly. “That lady is totally cray-cray.”

“Cray-cray?” Jack asked.

“She means insane, I think,” Raf explained. “In an exaggerated, crazy way.”

“O-kay,” Jack said hesitantly. “Ratchet thinks the best thing for Nova is to be around other people. She’s always around the ‘Bots, and this’ll prepare her for the outside world again.” He rubbed his head. “Well, sorta.”

“Well, what about Optimus?” Miko demanded, her hands on her hips.

“What about him?”

“Don’t tell me _he_ actually agreed to this.”

“I don’t think he had a choice,” Jack said. “Ratchet seemed pretty mad at him the other night—”

“For letting Dreadwing go and making Nova fight alone,” Raf added.

“—Yeah, he seemed angry that Optimus couldn’t prevent Nova from having to go through this, or something,” Jack continued. “So he’s asking my mom to come over even if Optimus doesn’t like it.”

“But Optimus is _her_ _guardian_ ,” Miko said exasperatedly. “Shouldn’t he at least have a choice, even if Nova doesn’t?”

“Not the way Ratchet sees it,” Raf replied. “He wants Nova to be with her family, so he’s making sure Optimus is willing to give her up for the day. Plus,” he said, turning to Jack, “Your mom keeps bugging the Bots about it.”

“What?” Miko asked, her hands on her hips as she narrowed her eyes at Jack. “What does he mean?”

“Uh, yeah,” Jack said sheepishly. “Ratchet’s decision may have been a result of my mom calling the base at least twice every week demanding that Nova take a break from the Bots. She’s getting mad about it, and wants to take Nova into her custody.”

“Well, we aren’t gonna let her,” Miko said, punching a determined fist into her open palm. “We’ll see to it that Nova stays here if she wants to, and if June doesn’t like that, then she can just—”

“It’s okay, Miko,” a soft voice said. “You don’t have to do that.”

“Nova!” She wheeled around and pounced on the half-spark eagerly. “What happened?”

“Are you okay?” Raf asked, seeing Nova’s red, tear-streaked face. “Do you want us to go get—”

“No, Raf,” Nova said, holding up a hand. “I’m fine. I just came down here to tell you about what Aunt June decided. But it seems like you already know.”

“You’re slagging _right_ we know!” Miko said, her Cybertronian swear word making the others gasp. “Yeah, I said it, and we aren’t going to let June do this to you!”

“Miko,” sighed Nova, rubbing her cheek wearily. “I already agreed to it. I told Optimus I’d go with June for today. He’s telling Ratchet right now.”

“You did _what_?” Miko’s angered face took on a look of disbelief. “Are you for real?”

“I — I think so, yes,” the half-spark replied, shooting a confused glance at Jack. “I’ll be going home with her this afternoon, so I won’t be here to meet you guys after school.”

“Oh,” Miko said dejectedly. Then, her eyes took on a look of panic. “Wait! Who’ll be here to babysit us if the Bots are out?”

“You can do that yourselves,” Nova said, placing a consoling hand on her friend’s shoulder. “You don’t need me. Besides, it’s only for a night. I’ll be back tomorrow. Probably.”

“Yeah, but with Helicopter Mom, you never know,” Miko grumbled. “We might as well have sent you off to a prison somewhere.”

“Oh, and speaking of prison,” Jack said suddenly, looking at his watch, “Don’t we have to get to school?”

“Yeah,” Raf sighed. “I guess we do.”

They all looked at Nova sadly, and she at them.

“Good luck,” Jack said.

“You’ll need it,” Miko added.

Nova smiled at all three of them. “Thanks, guys.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Airachnid approached her commander with an air of humble servitude, and knelt before his mighty form.

“If it pleases you, Lord Megatron,” she began, “Once Soundwave discovers a means of decoding the remainder of the Iacon database, as we know he will, I would suggest the deployment of an underutilized asset.”

Megatron spoke to the spider without turning to face her. “And what asset would that be, Airachnid?”

“I believe that my superior tracking skills would expedite your quest to recover the remaining relics,” Airachnid said, her voice dripping with servility.

“Noted.”

Her objective complete, Airachnid rose to her feet. “You are a gracious audience, My Lord.”

The door to the bridge of the warship slid shut behind her as Megatron turned to his loyal communications officer.

“Soundwave. Remind me of her trustworthiness.”

Soundwave’s screen of a face lit up with an audio recording of Airachnid’s words he had taken in the past, when Megatron had been absent from the ship.

“ _I believe we must consider the possibility of a future without Megatron.”_

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Megatron’s face fizzled to life on one of the warship’s monitor screens, within Dreadwing’s personal chamber. The Seeker was cleaning one of his weapons when his master called his name from the screen.

“Dreadwing.”

If he was surprised to be receiving a call from his lord and master, Dreadwing did not show it.

“I am at your beck and call, Lord Megatron,” he replied, laying the weapon aside.

“I wish to entrust you with a task I would normally reserve for myself,” Megatron said, his voice taking on an ominous tone. “That is, if you wish to prove yourself worthy of becoming my first lieutenant.”

“That post belongs to Airachnid,” Dreadwing replied. Everyone knew that since Starscream had left, Airachnid had become the choice for second-in-command of the warship.

“She will be missed.”

Dreadwing realized what Megatron was asking. The time had come for Airachnid’s termination.

“And I suggest you bring backup,” Megatron added before signing off. “She can be a handful, especially when cornered.”

“As you command, my lord,” Dreadwing replied, bowing respectfully. His master’s will would be done, no matter what he had to do to execute it.

As the potential candidate for SIC, Dreadwing would follow his orders to his last Spark-pulses.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Nova sat before the bundle in the medical bay, her legs folded up under her, her body uncovered by her armor.

The corpse before her was wrapped in sterilized white cloths, and separated from her by a screen of glass. The tears did not fall from her cheeks, however. This time, at the sight of her brother, they only welled up in her eyes and stung and stayed, lingering in her vision, clouding the world and placing everything behind a watery film.

She tried to imagine that her brother was alive; that this deceased body was some kind of imposter, and the real Coby would be alive and well.

She knew that there was no way this could be true.

“Coby,” she whispered, leaning her head against the glass. “I’d rather you were trying to kill me a hundred times over than have it come to this.”

Coby gave no answer. How could he? He had been killed by the one who loved him the most.

Nova looked at her hands, pressed up against the glass which was as cold as her sorrow, and she understood exactly how enormous her guilt was.

“You’ve got a murderer’s hands,” Nova hissed. “You’re not fit to live.”

“Nova?” A voice came from behind her.

She snapped out of her thoughts, and turned to look up at Optimus. “Yes?”

“Your aunt is en route.” He looked at her doubtfully. “Are you prepared to go with her?”

Nova glanced down at the floor, then looked at her brother’s body silently.

Optimus took a knee next to her. “Your brother will be safe here until a decision is made,” he said. “I know human burial processes can differ from ours.”

“No,” Nova sighed. “I know he’ll be fine. I mean, he’s not going anywhere.”

Optimus looked down at her. “Are you all right?”

“Not really. Should I be?”

“No. It is good to grieve those you have lost. I only hope that this departure from the team does not affect you for the worse.”

Nova looked up at him. “What do you mean?”

“In times of war, soldiers who have lost close friends— brothers —tend to place most of the guilt upon themselves, and separation from their unit in times of grief often worsens their condition.”

“I wonder why,” Nova whispered.

“Taking responsibility for yourself is one thing, Nova,” Optimus said. “But I do not want you to place blame on yourself.”

“Are you trying to tell me that I did the right thing in killing him?” Nova asked vehemently.

“In war, the ‘right thing’ often eludes us,” Optimus gently responded. “But I know that in this you acted for the good of those who could not defend themselves.”

“I killed my own _brother_ , Optimus!” Nova cried in her frustration, clenching her fist on the smooth glass. Her whole body felt as cold as death. “How could I — I mean … how could he ever…”

“Forgive you?”

She looked at the bundle in sorrow. “Yes.”

Optimus looked, too. Then, he sat down beside the half-spark and opened his hand to her. “Come here.”

Nova turned away from the glass tomb to bury her face into her guardian’s hand, wrapping her arms around as many of her fingers as she could reach.

“You must always remember how much you are worth to me,” Optimus said. “And no matter how dark the time; no matter how hopeless the moment, I will remain with you. You are not to blame for this, and I know your brother does not hold you responsible any more than I do.”

Nova pressed her face into the warm metal of his hands and said nothing, the choking lump in her throat growing more painful by the second.

“Do you understand?” Optimus asked.

The half-spark nodded vehemently, but she could not speak. She didn’t need to.

“Will you be alright?”

She shook her head. “Mm-m.”

Optimus smiled slightly. “I know. But will you be alright with June?”

Nova sniffed as she raised her head. “I’ve survived worse than June Darby before.”

“So you have,” agreed the Prime.

The sound of an engine made them break off their conversation as June’s car drove into the base, stopping over the Autobot symbol in the center of the floor.

“Nova, hi!” June Darby stepped out, her nurse’s uniform smooth and clean as usual, and ran to Nova to pull her into a tight hug.

Nova choked in surprise, and her face settled into a disgruntled scowl as June released her and held her out at arm’s length, the tears rolling down her face.

“Oh, honey, I heard about what happened,” she sniffed, adjusting her modest purse. “Are you doing okay? Is there anything you need? I’ve got some snacks in the car—”

“No, thanks, Aunt June,” Nova interrupted gently. “I’m fine.”

June’s eyes softened, and she wiped away her tears to smile at her niece gently. “Well, I managed to get off my shift early, and I came to pick you up.”

Her eyes flitted to the imposing figure of Optimus kneeling next to them. “Will that be a problem?”

“No,” replied Optimus, getting to his feet and looking down at them. “You may leave whenever you wish.”

“I would also like to see my… nephew,” June said. “If that isn’t a problem, either.”

“Of course,” Optimus said, gesturing to the glass chamber. June approached the swaddled bundle within, and though she had no way to see the face, fresh tears streamed down her cheeks and she placed a palm on the glass in her grief.

Optimus sensed that the nurse wished to be left alone, so he edged away and went to join Ratchet at the Groundbridge controls, where the medic was running a computer diagnostic program.

Nova came to join her aunt.

“June?” Nova looked at her weeping aunt in confusion. “I didn’t know you would be so … sad about Coby. Angry, maybe, but not so sad. I’m … I’m sorry this is so hard for you.”

“Hard for _me_?” June pulled Nova into another hug. “Oh, sweetie, I was crying because of how hard this is for _you_. No one should ever have to lose a family member.”

She took Nova’s hands in hers and smiled at her gently, the tears streaming down her face. “You know, when your mom would come and visit me, before Jack was born, she would show me how much her stomach had grown, and she’d talk about a future with twins, and about how much she wanted the three of you to grow up together — to be the best of friends someday. I wanted that to happen too, but after your dad went into the military, and your uncle left me and Jack behind, well, we were separated, and I never got to see you and Coby grow up. And now—” she gestured to the silent body. “—because of this, I won’t be able to see the two of you together at all.”

June choked on a sob, and the tears flowed more freely as she was overcome with sadness.

Nova returned her hug gently and handed her aunt a handkerchief she had in her pocket. June accepted it gratefully and dabbed at her eyes, laughing through her tears.

“But now, you and Jack _are_ the best of friends,” she said. “I once thought I would never see you or Coby ever again, but seeing you and knowing you’re safe has been the greatest gift you could ever give me.”

She placed a hand on Nova’s shoulder. “My only regret is how little I get to see you and make sure you’re safe. You know I can never tell if you’re okay when you’re hanging around…” her voice changed to a tone of disgust. “… _this_ place.”

Nova winced. She knew where this conversation was heading.

June wiped her eyes again, and got to her feet shakily. “Well,” she sighed briskly. “Are you ready to go?”

“Um,” Nova said hesitantly, looking back at the two Autobots behind them. “I don’t know how long I’ll actually be able to stay at your house, Aunt June. I’m needed here, and—”

“What do you mean, they need you?”June asked.

“Well, we’ve been dealing with more Decepticons lately, and I—”

“This is what I’m talking about,” June said, frowning. “Whenever I try to get you kids out of this base, I’m met with resistance because for some reason none of you want to leave. And I think that reason is them,” she said, jerking a thumb back at the Autobots. Nova saw Optimus raise his head.

“Listen, Aunt June, I didn’t want a confrontation,” she began.

“No, Nova, you listen to me, and I mean it!” June said firmly. “They are robots! They don’t even know what family is! You need to spend more of your life with your _real_ family while you still have us with you. It’s time to leave this base full of — of — of irresponsible metal aliens who place you in danger at every opportunity they get! They wouldn’t have sent you out after Coby if they had known better. You can’t stay here with them anymore!”

Every word she shouted made Nova feel as if she was being stabbed in the heart.

“But they _are_ my family,” she protested weakly. “You’re acting as if the Autobots killed my brother, Aunt June. They didn’t.”

“Well, they might as well have,” June retorted, darting a glare at the surprised Optimus. “Goodness knows they put _you_ in danger often enough. And no matter what they say, they are _not_ family. They will _never_ be family, Nova. That just isn’t possible.”

Nova bowed her head in silence.

With this last statement, June sighed, ran a hand through her dark hair, and looked down at her watch. “Look, we can talk about this at home, okay? I shouldn’t have come on like that. I just get so worried about you…”

Nova nodded listlessly. She allowed herself to be led to the car by her aunt, allowed the door to slam shut on her emotionless face, allowed the engine to start, and she realized the next minute that they were leaving the base, driving steadily through the tunnel, without the Groundbridge, without any Autobot to talk to.

Optimus was watching the car leave, his tall form dwindling and disappearing from Nova’s view as she snapped out of her trance and pressed her face against the side window, desperately craning her neck to watch him and Ratchet as the tunnel swallowed them up, and then she knew that they were gone.

But she didn’t know if she was coming back.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“Am I the only one here who considers this to be overkill on Lord Megatron's part?” Airachnid asked as the Decepticons tramped through the darkened forest. “I mean, dispatching _two_ of his mostproficient warriors to track down _one_ unconfirmed Energon spike?”

“Megatron knows me and Dreadwing here will get the job done,” Breakdown said firmly, his one good eye glowing in the dark, his other one dimmed by his eyepatch.

“Actually, I was referring to Dreadwing and _myself_ ,” Airachnid said, with poison in her voice.

Breakdown growled and cracked his knuckles, approaching the spider-like femme with the intent of removing a few of her legs, but Dreadwing stopped him with a word.

“Breakdown, remain on task,” he commanded. “This must be a unified effort.”

“Indeed, Breakdown,” Airachnid said sweetly, winking at him. “I know we've never seen _eyes_ to _eye_ , but that doesn't mean we can't _patch_ things up.”

“Rrrgh! That’s it!” Breakdown roared, charging at the femme with his hammer outstretched.

Dreadwing reached out to stop him. “Don’t!”

Breakdown found a sticky web plastered to his face, and grunted, trying to rip it off with his fingers. Dreadwing whipped out his machine gun from its holder on his back, and opened fire upon the spider-like fembot as Airachnid’s spider-like appendages carried her from tree to tree, leaping just out of range of Dreadwing’s attacks as Breakdown grunted in the dirt.

Swinging her body to and fro between the trees, Airachnid braced herself and fired a well-placed web around Dreadwing and his machine gun, but one of his lasers had knocked her off balance.

The spider robot fell from her lofty height with a grunt and hit the ground loudly. With one of her legs broken off at the tip, Airachnid lifted herself up and leapt away into the forest. Breakdown, roaring, gave immediate chase with his shoulder cannon.

“Breakdown, don't be a fool,” Dreadwing shouted, his arms and legs stuck to the trunk. “Release me!”

Breakdown took no heed, charging into the forest nevertheless. And that was the last time Dreadwing ever saw Breakdown alive.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

As he leaped over a rock in his wild pursuit, Breakdown came across a pool of freshly spilled Energon glowing in the dirt. He inspected it briefly, and stood up to survey his surroundings in the night.

Suddenly, above him in the trees, Breakdown heard the swish of a robot flying through the air from trunk to trunk. He whirled around and chased after Airachnid immediately, following the trail of spilled Energon and pools of glowing matter along the way. Eventually, he came upon the groaning femme, up against a rock in her fatigue, limp and helpless. She backed away in terror at the sight of him.

“Heh,” he chuckled, raising his hammer. “Easy prey.”

He lifted his arm into the air to deliver the killing blow, but found himself inexplicably caught on a strand of indestructible webbing strung over his head, effectively blocking his stroke and rendering him helpless in turn.

“Rrrgh! Rraugh!” Breakdown strained, trying to break free of the webbing, but he was unable to move or escape, and Airachnid then revealed how helpless she really was.

With a truly evil smile adorning her face, she lifted her razor sharp legs and launched them at her attacker, effectively ending his life. His shouts of pain echoed through the forest as his Spark was ripped out of its casing.

And Breakdown ceased to be.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Meanwhile, Dreadwing strained at the webbing binding him to the tree, grunting as he tried to pull himself free. His strength did nothing, and he knew that it was only a matter of time before that vengeful femme could return for him. The forest around him was eerily silent. He did not like it.

“Breakdown, what is your status?” Dreadwing demanded into his comm-link. “Breakdown!”

The eerie silence continued.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Breakdown’s severed arm dangled from the webbing, creaking in the night wind. A light was suddenly flashed onto the surface of dull metal, and the beam traveled down from the severed servo to the miscellaneous parts of Breakdown, his body completely beheaded and dismembered.

The man holding the light, a MECH worker in a dark uniform, lifted a radio to his mask and spoke into the walkie-talkie.

“MECH 1 to Silas. Our maneuvers have yielded unexpected results,” he said, roving around with the searchlight, alighting upon Breakdown’s head, frozen in a deathly scream. “And a familiar face.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“So, what’s the first thing you want to do when we get home?” June asked brightly, looking up into the overhead mirror at Nova in the backseat. “I can make us some nutritious vegan non-chocolate chip cookies while we talk about the … funeral and stuff. I know a snack can usually be helpful when planning these things.”

Nova looked at her aunt wearily, and shook her head. “No, thanks. I’d rather wait to talk about the funeral until the morning.”

“We can’t talk about the funeral in the morning, sweetie. I’ve got the day shift again, and you haveto go to school.”

Nova nearly jumped out of her seatbelt. “What?!”

“That’s right,” June said kindly, looking back at her niece. “I’ve enrolled you at the school where Jack goes, so he can show you around. They won’t mind a late student, and even though you’ve been out of school for some time, I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it.”

Nova blinked, and she kept opening her mouth and shutting it again, like a gasping fish that had been forcibly yanked out of water. “I — I —”

“Oh, you don’t need to thank me, Nova,” June said. “We can talk about the funeral tonight, and then we’ll finish up after you come back from school, okay? I know it’s a little sudden, pushing you into this so soon after a tragedy, but it’ll be good for you, I promise.”

She turned on her blinker and went down a quiet neighborhood road. “With what you’re going through, you need other people — other kids — to help you process what happened instead of just sitting and moping at home all day. I can’t believe Optimus didn’t send you to school before. I thought he knew about our laws and rules for proper education.”

The half-spark couldn’t believe her ears. Optimus had known better than to expose her to other children, and he had taught her a lot of things around the base that she needed to know, but June was actually planning on sending her to school? How long did she think Nova was staying with her?

Nova gulped, and her face was deathly white. “C-can we just go home please, and figure all this out later?” Her voice was barely audible, but June had good ears.

“Of course, honey. You’ve been through a lot, and you need some rest. And you just tell me if there’s anything you need.”

Nova looked out the window and saw her own frightened reflection gazing back. It looked as sad and stupefied as she felt. _I need to get out of here!_

“Here we are,” June said, pulling into the driveway. “Our house.”

Nova looked at it. It was a nice house. Quiet and plain, but nice. It reminded her of her parent’s house a little, and as Nova unbuckled her seatbelt and slid out of the car, she wondered how much of this day with their family would remind her of her old life.

“You can put your stuff inside on the table,” June said, unlocking the door. “We can sort it out later.”

“Stuff?” Nova looked down at the tiny satchel of things Ratchet had made up for her. He said these were the necessities for a night stay, so she had accepted it, but she really had no “stuff” of her own.

“Aunt June, all I’ve really got is my clothes,” Nova said.

“That’s fine, sweetie. You just go on inside and I’ll start making supper.”

Nova stepped over the threshold with a strange feeling in her stomach. This was the first time she had entered a human home since she had been twelve years old. In a sudden inspiration, she removed her armor quickly. She wanted to enter this house with goodwill.

Her eyes alighted on each of the pictures lining the entrance hallway, and she looked up at the soft light above her head in a sense of wonder, looked at the neat coat rack and the bags hanging from it, and she reached out to touch the wall, as if it could disappear at any moment.

“Come on inside,” June called from the living room ahead.

Nova shut the door behind her and ventured out of the entrance hallway, as timidly as a mouse.

“Is it okay for me to come in?” Nova asked. “What do I do?”

“Bring your stuff to the couch and we’ll get you settled in Jack’s room.”

Nova’s eyes widened. “Do you think I could sleep somewhere else tonight? If you give me a sheet I should be fine. I can sleep on the couch.”

June’s brow wrinkled. “Are you sure? You know, Jack could—”

“No, really,” Nova said, giving a sheepish smile. “The couch actually sounds great. That’s where I sleep back at the base, anyway.”

“Well, I suppose it’s all right, if that’s what you want,” June said, her voice still uncertain. “What are the Autobots thinking, having you sleep on the couch every day? You could get spinal problems later in life.”

“Um…” Nova tried to get the subject off of the Autobots. “Aunt June, where _is_ Jack? I thought school would be over at this time of day.”

She winced when she heard June’s answer.

“Oh, he’s probably still at the base,” June said, pulling out her cellphone. “Thanks for reminding me, I’ll give him a call. He’s not supposed to be out this late. There is such a thing as curfew.”

“N-no, I didn’t mean for you to call—” Nova began, but June was already dialing.

The nurse tapped her foot impatiently, and after a moment, the line picked up.

“ _Hey, it’s Jack,_ ” the voicemail recording said. _“I can't answer, 'cause I'm probably out saving the world right now.”_

June left a message.

“Jackson Darby, you know you aren’t supposed to be out this late. The instant you get this message, you come back home immediately or run the risk of me grounding you for a year.”

She snapped the phone shut, looked at Nova, and sighed. “I’m sorry, honey, I guess we’ll just have to make do without him.”

Nova looked down at the ground. “I understand.”

Her eyes worried, June placed a hand on her niece’s shoulder. “I know it’s hard, sweetie, but don’t worry. Jack will be home soon.”

Nova nodded, but that was not what she was disappointed about. The fact that Jack was _there_ , and she was _here;_ the fact that he was spending time with his guardian right now when Nova wasn’t even able to see hers…

The half-spark clenched her fists. It was going to be a long night.

“Come into the kitchen, and you can help me make food, honey,” June said, lifting Nova’s chin.

Nova frowned. Only Optimus lifted her chin like that.

She jerked her head away. “I’m not very hungry.”

“Oh, well, alright,” June said. “Do you want to talk about it while I make something?”

Nova sighed. If Optimus were here, he would have told her to make the best of it, and to be courteous. So she nodded. “That might be nice.”

They walked into the kitchen, and Nova took a seat next to the counter while June Darby rattled some pans around.

“So, what would make you feel better? How about you tell me about the base,” June said. “What makes you enjoy being over there so much?”

“I think it’s just the fact that I have friends there,” Nova said. “Jack and the other kids, Ratchet, and Bulkhead and Bee and Arcee, and especially Optimus. And I always enjoy helping out. They like to have me tag along sometimes on their missions, and I get to learn so many things from them. Optimus teaches me leadership and battle skills, mostly, but he’s there for me if I ever want to just talk.

"Ratchet is great at teaching me about Cybertronian science. I don’t remember most of it, but what I hear from him is always cool. And Bumblebee likes to talk about races and scouting and video games.”

Nova began to smile as she got going. “And Bulkhead, wow, he can name every Japanese tokusatsu kaiju movie ever made, and he’s great to talk with about any old thing. He and Miko love to watch the old reruns of monster movies on TV…”

June was silent though Nova’s description of each team member, but when the half-spark had finished telling her about scouting for Energon in the forest, she decided to say something.

“Sweetheart, I don’t think a girl your age should be so … so _involved_ like this. It’s not safe.”

Nova looked at her aunt in a stupor for a moment. Was she serious?

“It’s not _safe_?” Nova asked incredulously. She was certain June was joking. “Well, since when has any of this been safe? Since when has my _life_ ever been safe?”

“Never.” June said, turning on the stove. “Which is exactly my point. You should worry about school, and grades, and getting a job or a boyfriend. You should have a normal life, for crying out loud!”

“Thanks, Aunt June, but I don’t _want_ a normal life,” said her niece, her momentary happiness fading away. “It sounds … well, it sounds impossible. I don’t think a normal life was ever mine to live.”

“It can be. I’m enrolling you in school tomorrow. You can take classes with Jack.”

“No,” Nova said, trying to be firm. “No school. Please. I can’t be in two places at once, and I can’t live a life where someone is breathing down my neck and controlling me. I’ve already gone through that before. I won’t be imprisoned again.”

“It’s not prison, kiddo. It’s the law. You’re going to school.”

Nova let out a long sigh and leaned against the counter wearily. “Why are you doing this to me?”

“Because I have to take responsibility for you. Until we find you another legal guardian—”

“I have one. Optimus.”

“He’s the furthest thing from a legal guardian.”

“And I’m the furthest thing from a normal human being!” Nova cried.

Her outburst plunged the room into silence for a minute. June opened the fridge and rummaged around in it without saying a word, but her body emanated disapproval.

Nova sighed. “Look, according to all official government records, Nova Makutan died five years ago. As far as everyone else is concerned, I don’t exist, and I never have existed. Optimus is my only guardian now, and I don’t think there’s anything normal about me. I’m _different_ , Aunt June,” she said. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”

“Everyone is different, Nova.”

“But I’m _different_ different,” Nova protested. “Because of _my_ difference, I’m counted both as a human and as a Cybertronian. I belong to both worlds. I can’t do anything about who I am. But here’s the thing, Aunt June — when it really boils down to it, I don’t _like_ this planet! I don’t want to associate with too many humans because all I’ve gotten from most of them is torture. They aren’t like the Autobots. The ‘Bots are my family.”

“But why are _the_ _y_ your family?” June asked. “Why can’t you spend time with your own family? With people your own age — people your own _species_?”

“Because I belong to two worlds now, Aunt June. I told you this already. I belong to both, and so I need to protect them both, if I can, even if I don’t like the people on this world. And Earth happens to be the one involved in an intergalactic war right now. I need to do all I can to protect it, and the best way to do that right now is to help the Autobots.”

“You shouldn’t be required to protect a planet with six billion people on it.”

“I’m not required to do anything. I _chose_ to do this.”

“You can’t do it, though,” June argued. “Not by yourself.”

“Exactly!” Nova cried, almost shouting. “That’s why I need the Autobots! That’s why we all do!”

June sighed, and turned to Nova wearily, as if she was trying to get her niece to see something she couldn’t possibly understand.

“No, we don’t, Nova. _They_ brought their war here, and it’s _their_ responsibility to get it away from here. Not ours,” she pointed to Nova. “And not yours.”

After a pause, Nova sighed. “Aunt June. I know this is hard for you. It’s been hard on us all. But my dad always told me that I have to have the courage to do what’s right no matter how hard it is, and I don’t intend to stand by and watch while the Autobots fight to protect humanity at risk to themselves.”

“But someone _human_ has to take responsibility for you—”

“June,” Nova interrupted. “I appreciate that you care enough to protect me — believe me, it’s been a long time since any human ever did. I’m very glad to have an aunt and a cousin. I thought all the rest of my family died long ago. And I admit that I do need to get better at associating with people from my own planet. But I _won’t_ let anyone else die on my account. I am going to do this with the Autobots, for my parents and my brother and my planet. And no force on Earth can stop me. Not even you.”

June Darby fell into silence.

The stove top beeped an alert.

Letting out a long sigh, Nova got up from the counter and looked at her aunt. “It’s been a long day. May I go to bed now?”

“We haven’t talked about the funeral for Coby yet.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow you have school,” June said, turning back to the stove.

Nova winced. “I have no choice?”

“Nope. We can talk about the funeral after school, if you want. Now, I suggest you get a good night’s rest. You have to wake up at seven.”

Nova left the kitchen and switched off the lights in the living room, unfolding the simple cotton blanket left for her and stretching out on the couch. She pulled the covers up to her chin and shut her eyes, blocking out the sound of June Darby rattling pans in the next room by thinking about Optimus and her other friends. She wondered what they were doing right now, while she was locked up in this prison.

 _Don’t think of it as a prison,_ she told herself. _Think of it as … a vacation. Yeah. I’m locked up on vacation._

Her brow creased slightly. This was not going to work.

She forced her eyes to remain closed as she pictured each of the Autobots in her mind, thinking about their cares and joys, their worries and hopes, and her thoughts eventually drifted to Coby.

_Coby. Why did you have to leave me now?_

A tear trickled down her cheek, and silently, Nova began to cry, but this time, there was no one to wipe her tears away.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Starscream groped for the next handhold in the rock face, grunting and straining as he kept his eyes on the prize — a shard of glowing blue Energon, the crystalline form sticking out of the smooth rock like a little star above his head.

Starscream was not interested in beauty at the moment. The wonder and curiosity he had had as a scientist was lone gone, he told himself. What mattered now was survival. Ever since he had deserted the Decepticons in favor of independence, and lost his T-cog as a result, Starscream had been forced to walk over the face of the earth. As if that wasn’t inglorious enough already, he had also been forced to scrounge for scraps of Energon like some sort of common glitch-mouse.

“This is idiotic,” he muttered to himself. “How is it that I have been reduced to seeking Energon scraps, merely to survive?”

He plucked the shard of Energon out of the rock face, and held it before his eyes disgustedly. This was barely enough to power himself for a few more astro-minutes.

As he wretchedly inspected the tiny crystal, he felt himself slipping, and let out a cry as he crashed ungracefully to the ground.

Groaning, he sat upright and looked at the tiny fragment of Energon in his fingertips once again, letting out a hopeless sigh as he leaned against the rock face. There was truly no way this life could be any worse.

Then, his audio receptors picked up a thumping noise further into the cave from where he sat, followed by a guttural growling and insect-like chittering. It was close.

Curious, Starscream got to his feet and walked around the next corner to investigate. What he saw was unexpected, even for him. In all his foot-bound travels on Earth he had not seen anything like this.

“An Insecticon? On Earth?” Starscream muttered to himself, observing the enormous Cybertronian beast. It was almost taller than Megatron, it sported mandibles on its gruesome, insect-deformed faceplate, and its heavy, fearsomely clawed hands were busy scraping aside the boulders in the rock wall.

It was obviously not a creature to be trifled with.

But when the Insecticon pulled out a chunk of Energon crystals larger than Starscream’s head, he figured it was time he intervened. Surely this primitive beast would listen to him.

“You there, scavenger,” Starscream said, coming out from behind the corner and approaching the beast. “Deliver that Energon to me.”

The Insecticon, wonder of wonders, actually disregarded Starscream, turning away from the skinny flier and continuing about its business.

Starscream was angered. How dare this mindless brute show such impertinence? Did it not know who he was?

“You dare turn your back on a superior life form?” Starscream demanded, putting on his most authoritative voice. “I am Commander Starscream!”

With this outburst, Starscream raked his talons across the Insecticon’s back, determined to get his point across, but he regretted it immediately.

The Insecticon turned and lashed out at him, and the next thing Starscream knew, aside from his terror at the brute’s bloodthirsty roars, was that he was being forced back into a narrow crevice in the wall of rock, while the Insecticon groped for him in rage. Starscream scrabbled further into the hole, kicking uselessly at the huge talons which pursued him.

“Fine! Keep the Energon,” he shrieked. “I hope you choke on it!”

The Insecticon appeared to be paying him no mind, and for an instant Starscream wondered with horror if he would survive the night, but then, to his immense surprise, the bug-bot stopped in its tracks and withdrew, pulling its ravenous arms out from the hole. The sweetest sound in the world to Starscream at that moment was the sound of the beast walking away.

Starscream sat there in relief for a moment, then crawled out of the hole and got to his feet. Where was that creature going?

He followed the lumbering oaf through the cave until they came to a large cavern, swept clean by the former mining crew and as quiet as death. Then, Starscream saw what the Insecticon was aiming for.

“Yes, minion, approach me,” Airachnid crooned, lounging atop her rock in the center of the cavern. “Obey me.”

The Insecticon seemed to be pulled inexorably towards the femme, as if some unheard signal was attracting it and had taken over its rather diminutive mind. Its actions moved in sync with the spider as Airachnid voiced her final command.

“Worship me.”

After a moment of silence, the subjugated Insecticon knelt before the spider-femme and offered her the crystals of Energon it had in its claws.

“You shouldn’t have.” Airachnid accepted it graciously.

“WHAT?!” Starscream shrieked. He marched out of his hiding place with indignant fury. “You reject a commander but grovel at the feet of that wretch?!”

The wretch smiled slightly. “Don’t get your turbines in a twist. After all, the beast and I are somewhat related. You might even say we are of one mind.”

The Insecticon chittered quietly as Starscream faced Airachnid, and the Seeker put his hands on his hips.

“Why are you here?” Starscream demanded. “Decepticons never return to stripped mines.”

“You are not the only rogue Decepticon in need of Energon,” Airachnid said, gesturing to her severed leg stump.

Starscream smiled. “Was it a run-in with the Autobots, or did Megatron invite you on one of his … field trips?”

“Megatron was otherwise engaged,” Airachnid replied, a sinister look gleaming in her eye. “But you should see his lackey.”

Smiling at her, Starscream put on his best negotiating face and offered a suggestion. “You know, Airachnid, as fellow outcasts, we should consider putting aside our differences.”

He gestured to the Insecticon. “With this creature under your control, and at our disposal, we might employ it to terminate Megatron, allowing us to rule the Decepticons.”

“Together?” Airachnid asked in disbelief.

Starscream began to pace as he formulated a plan. “We would simply need to lure Megatron here, away from his support systems, so that we might catch him—”

“With his guard down?” Airachnid finished. She looked down at Starscream haughtily. “An intriguing proposal … if ruling the Decepticons or spending any length of time with you were of the slightest interest to me.”

Starscream spluttered in shock.

“Of course, you had me at ‘terminate Megatron,’” Airachnid continued, rubbing her hands together. “Payback would be … sweet.”

Starscream backed away slowly, his hands raised in deference. “However you wish to spin it,” he said nervously.

“I would need to ensure my assassin was up to the task,” Airachnid continued, gesturing to her Insecticon warrior. “Perhaps … a test run is in order.”

“What?!” Starscream cried. He knew exactly where this was headed. “I thought we were partners!”

Airachnid smiled as she gave the order to the Insecticon. “Eviscerate him!”

As the Insecticon approached the Seeker, Starscream’s mouth opened in a terrified scream that echoed through the caves.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“Nova?”

The half-spark blinked wearily into the light above her head. “Hmm.”

“It’s time to get ready, sweetie. School starts in an hour.”

Nova’s eyes popped open, and she stared up at June in a terrible fright before remembering where she was.

“Oh! Aunt June, it’s you,” she said, sitting up and flipping off the blanket. “I didn’t know where, uh, I mean … sorry for sleeping in.”

“It’s okay, honey. I know how much you need rest after everything that’s happened.”

Nova looked at her in silence for a moment. “Thanks.”

“You can take a shower and brush your teeth upstairs.” June glanced at her clothes. “Are you sure you want to wear those?”

Nova looked down at her faded blue jeans and her dark red hoodie. “What’s wrong with what I have?”

“It’s just … it’s just very hot in Nevada, hon,” June said.

“I don’t mind the heat.”

“And the clothes are very … plain for a teenager, don’t you think?”

Nova stared at her. “Why would that be a problem?”

“It isn’t. I just thought you’d want to make a good impression, is all.”

“I want to make a good impression for _you_ ,” Nova said. “I couldn’t care less about what the other children think of me. But please, Aunt June,” she pleaded, a desperate look in her eyes. “Please don’t do this to me.”

“I’m doing this _for_ you,” June said, her eyebrow raised skeptically. “But I understand your fear of going into a new school. Most teenagers feel that way.”

The half-spark stared at her aunt blankly. “But—”

“Nuh-uh.” June gripped her firmly by the shoulder, for the half-spark was a little shorter than herself, and steered her niece toward the bathroom. “No ‘buts’. Now, get ready for school.”

“B-but,” Nova stammered, looking at the simple white tile of the bathroom floor. “But…”

“No ‘buts’,” June said, thrusting a finger at her. “Get ready.”

Nova sighed in resignation. _It’ll be nice to take a shower again, I guess._ “Thank you, Aunt June.”

She shut the door before June could answer, and she allowed a small smile to come to her lips. _Being a teenager is simple,_ she thought. _Just do whatever you don’t want to do with a large amount of griping._

Nova looked in the mirror. The face staring back at her was foreign, and it seemed … weird, as if it wasn’t a normal human face. She narrowed her eyes and peered at it closely. It seemed normal at first glance, but the more Nova stared at it, the more uncertain she felt. She hadn’t seen her own face in a while, and wondered if the other children would think she looked normal.

“I don’t care what they think of me,” she finally decided, turning on the sink. “It doesn’t matter.” She looked at herself once more before allowing her metal mask to slide over her face.

_It doesn’t matter._

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“Where’s Jack?” Nova asked June as she came out of the restroom, braiding her hair fluidly.

“He’s waiting for you in the garage,” June replied. She smiled at her niece’s clean face. “You know, you look just like your mom.”

The half-spark swallowed as a blurred image of her mother formed in her mind. “Is that good?”

“It’s a high compliment,” June winked. “I always wondered how your dad managed to do it.”

Nova’s gaze softened a bit as June held up a brown paper sack.

“I packed a lunch for you, sweetheart.”

Nova wished she would stop calling her names like that. It reminded her of her dad. But she firmly grasped the paper sack handed to her nonetheless, even though her resolve was weakening. She didn’t know if she was up for this.

“You’d better go,” June said. “Can’t have you skipping your first day of school.”

“Right,” Nova replied absently. Her mind was lost in thought as she made her way out to the garage.

“Oh, before I forget, Nova,” June cried after the half-spark. “I work the late shift tonight, so we can talk about the funeral when I get home, but you’re going to have to wait up for me.”

Nova hesitated at the door, and a hopeful gleam came into her eyes. “Can I go to the base to wait for y—?”

“Of course not!” June replied. “We have you at our house to keep you _away_ from there.”

The half-spark sighed. It was going to be a long day.

Jack was waiting in the garage, his helmet under his arm and his left hand gripping the handlebars of the sleek, blue motorcycle he always drove.

“Hey, Nova,” the motorcycle said, flashing its headlights at her.

Nova waved back. “I didn’t know we were bringing Arcee,” she said.

“Well, yeah. How’d you think we were going to get to school on time?” Jack asked with a smile. “You didn’t expect me to take my mom’s car, did you?”

Nova smiled back a little, despite her sadness at seeing another Cybertronian. “Right. Sorry. Where’s the school?”

Jack frowned. “Huh?”

“Where’s the school, and how long will it take me to walk there?”

Her cousin shook his head. “You aren’t walking. Mom figured since you have a built-in helmet you could ride with us.”

Nova’s eyes widened. “Oh, no, I couldn’t ride with you on Arcee, that would be too … um, presumptuous.”

“I’m not sure what that means, but it’s okay,” Jack said with a smile. “Anything for my cousin. You’re the first family I’ve actually had around in a while.”

Nova’s gaze softened as she remembered Jack’s dad, and how he had left. It was hard for the boy, even though he didn’t show it much around the other kids.

She closed her eyes for a moment. “Okay,” she relented, and swung her leg up over Arcee as she sat behind Jack. Her helmet materialized around her head and fitted to her face, and she looked at her cousin in front of her awkwardly. “Um, I’m not sure how I do this.”

“Oh, you’ve got some handles under your seat if you don’t wanna do … that,” Jack said, twisting to look back at her. “Believe me, I know how you feel. The first time Miko rode with us was the last time _that_ will ever happen.”

Nova allowed herself to smile again, but she was confused as to why she had to buckle up in a three-point safety system when she was inside Optimus, but on this very small, very unprotected two-wheeled bike, all she had to do to “keep safe” was hang on to a little handle underneath her seat. She looked down at the pavement directly below her, and the street seemed to be glowering maliciously back.

“Can we go now?” Nova asked.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Once Jack pulled up to the school, Nova saw that a large crowd of students was already going in, and the double doors in the front of the brick building were propped open. The chattering and laughter of a lot of people drowned out the noise of Arcee’s engine as she puttered to a stop, and a few people waved at Jack as he pulled into the parking lot. The half-spark made sure no one was looking before she ducked behind Jack and removed her helmet quietly.

“Um, what do we do now?” Nova whispered. “How are we supposed to do this?”

“We, uh, we just walk in,” Jack said, looking at her in disbelief. She nodded, and continued to look around in wonder at the small school building before her. At the wide-eyed, deer-in-the-headlights look on Nova’s face, Jack realized something for the first time.

“Nova, have you ever been in a public school before?”

“I was homeschooled,” Nova said. “Until I was captured by MECH. Why?”

“Well, because… you don’t look like you know what to do at all,” Jack said.

“That’s true, yes,” replied Nova in a sort of monotone voice. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Her cousin raised his eyebrow. “So let’s pretend you do.”

“Huh?”

“Follow me,” Jack said, hopping off of Arcee and grabbing his helmet. “I’ll show you the ropes.”

“They have ropes in public school?” Nova swung off of the bike too, and followed behind her cousin confusedly.

“Well, sort of,” Jack chuckled. “You’ll be all right here, Arcee?”

The headlights blinked on the motorcycle twice. Jack knew the drill. Arcee would project her hologram driver, Sadie, after the kids left, and once the coast was clear, she would head back to base until it was time to pick him up later.

“Look, here comes Miko,” Jack said, pointing at the heavy-duty familiar green car that rumbled down the street. Bulkhead blinked his lights at them as Miko waved from the passenger seat and jumped out of the car as Bulkhead rolled to a stop.

“Bye, Bulk!” Miko waved at the car as it pulled out. Then she turned to Nova. “Dude! How did you survive the night locked up with the Curse Nurse?” Miko asked excitedly. “I didn’t know she was making you come to school with us.”

“Well, apparently, she is,” Nova said. “If I can’t escape before then.”

“You’ll be fine,” Jack assured her. “None of the students should give you any trouble. Hopefully.”

Miko smirked. “And if they do, Nova can put a fist full of her half-spark awesomeness right up their—”

“Hey, guys,” a smaller voice said.

They all looked down at Raf.

“Hi,” Jack said amiably. “Ready to go in?”

“Sure,” Raf said. “What classes does Nova have?”

Jack pulled a rumpled piece of paper out of his jeans. “Umm, hold on … Mom gave me the schedule.”

Nova groaned inwardly. There was a schedule? How long was this school thing going to be?

Nevertheless, they approached the steps for the school leisurely. Nova tried to walk like her friends did, mimicking their slightly slouched postures and passive looks. She knew she just looked stupid, so she began to look around at the other students instead.

They seemed to be staring at her, and she didn’t have a problem with staring right back.

“Uh-oh,” Raf said, tugging on Nova’s arm. “Look out. It’s Vince. He’s the school tough guy.”

“Not for long, he isn’t,” Miko hissed as the red-haired boy approached them. “Nova’s gonna give ‘im a few pointers.”

“What do you guys think she’s gonna do, beat him up?” Jack whispered. “Just be quiet, and ignore him, and he’ll go away.”

Nova tried to see who they were talking about, and her eyes widened as she caught sight of the green-jacketed boy swaggering towards them. “Oh, no.”

“S’matter?” Miko asked. “Is it the way he looks?” She snarled a little. “Don’t you just want to kick his scrawny little skidplate?”

“I think … I think I already did,” Nova said, her face pale.

“What?”

“Darby!” Vince barked, folding his arms and glowering at the group. “I see you brought your freak gang with you again.”

Nova tried to pull her hood up over her face. She had to hide herself.

“They go to school here, Vince,” Jack said. “Is that a problem?”

“It is for me. They’re a buncha nerds. And I don’t like the look of your face. It bothers me.”

“Didn’t know I meant that much to you, Vince,” replied Jack cooly. “Now, unless you’ve got a bigger problem here, I suggest you let us go inside. Class is about to start.”

Vince snickered. “‘Class is about to start,’” he said mockingly. “Gimme a break, Darby.”

“We’ll give you a _few_ breaks if you don’t get the scrap outta here,” Miko snapped, edging her way in between Jack and the bigger boy. “And believe me, we bring the hurt!"

“Back off, Ching-Chong,” Vince sneered, shoving Miko back by her forehead. “I’m only talkin’ to Darby. Why don’t you go eat noodles or something?”

Miko was fuming. Nova burrowed deeper into her hood.

“Don’t talk to her like that, Vince,” Jack said firmly.

“Oh yeah?” Vince got up in Jack’s face. “What’re you gonna do about it?”

“Um, Jack?” Raf interrupted, tugging on the older boy’s sleeve. “The bell just rang. We have ten minutes to get to class before—”

“I know,” Jack said, refusing to back away from Vince. “But don’t worry. We’ll get to class without any more trouble, _right_ , Vince?”

“Aww, do you have to listen to your little baby friend now?” Vince rolled his eyes and shoved Jack out of his face. “Whatever, wimp. You’re not even worth my time.”

He swaggered away, and Nova breathed a sigh of relief.

She gasped a second later when Miko punched her in the arm.

“Dude, what was that?” Miko demanded. “We could have whupped his butt right here!”

Nova shook her head. “I can’t, Miko. I’ve … met Vince before.”

The girl raised her eyebrows. “When?”

“When Raf was—” Nova swallowed, remembering her younger friend’s imprisonment by MECH.

She decided to skip that part.

“Um, I mean… A few months ago,” she said. “I _did_ beat Vince up, because he was threatening another kid for his lunch money or something.”

“Must have been Hendricks,” Jack muttered.

“That is _such_ a middle school move,” Miko said, rolling her eyes. “But you beat up the toughest guy in the school! Yeah, man!” She pumped her fist in the air.

“But that means we can’t let Vince see her face, or there’s gonna be trouble,” Jack reminded her.

“Seriously? The whole school should know about this!”

“Speaking of the school,” Raf cleared his throat, and jerked a finger toward the building. “We have to go.”

“Right,” Jack said. He grabbed the crumpled schedule paper out of his pocket and glanced at the first item on the list. “Nova, you have first period with Raf. Math class.”

“I’ll take you there,” Raf said. And all four of them sprinted up the stairs into the school, arriving where they needed to be just as the bells rang and the day started.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

An alert pinged on the base’s computer screen.

“What is it?” Bulkhead inquired, coming to stand by Ratchet.

“A high-frequency signal,” replied the medic. “With an embedded message.”

“Again?”

They both knew who it was, but Ratchet opened the transmission and read the messenger’s name anyway.

“Starscream.” They both stared at the screen as Ratchet read aloud. “’I have obtained information of extreme interest to you. Bring medical kit.’”

“Looks like we’re goin’ again,” Bulkhead sighed. “Wonder which Con scrapped his lousy butt this time."

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Starscream groaned and clutched at his mutilated leg in the quiet of the woods, and raised his head slightly as a Groundbridge flared to life a few meters away. His transmission had worked, thank Primus. What had taken those brutish Autobots so long?

The big one, Bulkhead, came out first, his cannons at the ready.

“Clear,” he announced, waving the medic forward. Ratchet leaped out of the Groundbridge with his medical kit in hand, his expression calm as usual. 

Starscream winced slightly as Ratchet came forward to speak to him.

“Make it fast,” said Ratchet simply. There was not a shred of pity in his gaze.

Starscream didn’t waste words. He knew that if he failed to give these Autobot buffoons some information they liked, he would fail to get repairs as well.

“It would appear that, like myself, Airachnid has gone rogue,” he revealed, as if the information was the most valuable gem of knowledge known to Cybertron.

But that accursed medic scoffed. “What’s it to us?”

Starscream scrambled for a suitable answer. Anything to get these dimwitted idiots to repair his leg. “She is planning to retaliate against Meg—eh,” He stopped himself from blurting out the truth and settled for something more potent.

“—Man-kind,” he finished lamely. “I can provide you with her current location.”

“I don’t believe you,” Ratchet replied.

_Tri-curse the medic!_

“Why wouldn’t you?!” Starscream responded. “I directed you to the location of the Decepticon Spacebridge so you could rescue Orion Pax, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, but then you helped MECH steal Bumblebee’s t-cog,” Bulkhead growled.

 _Idiot_ , Starscream thought. The Autobot was too ignorant to know he had not approached those tiny flesh bags until the t-cog had already been stolen.

“So?” Starscream said, more desperately. “He got it back, didn’t he?”

“Hmph,” Ratchet said.

To the Seeker’s horror, the Autobots turned their backs on him and made a move for their Groundbridge.

He resented being manipulated like this, but he was not above begging to get what he needed.

“I admit!” He stumbled to his feet and cried after them. “I admit, aligning myself with those vile humans was a colossal error in judgment.”

Starscream noticed Ratchet’s hesitation, and changed his voice to sound more pitiful. It was always worth a shot. “But I am alone. I do what I must to survive.”

He fell to his knees and groaned loudly.

“But I have paid the price.” With the most dramatic flair and painful pretense he could muster (though most of his pain was not pretense at all) he made his grand announcement. “I am now the one missing his t-cog.”

At this bit of news, both Ratchet and Bulkhead turned around.   
“You’re grounded?” Bulkhead demanded in disbelief.   
“Thus of little, if any, threat to you,” Starscream said, still kneeling on the ground. “But, Airachnid and her Insecticon intend to—”

“An Insecticon?!” Ratchet demanded.

He and Bulkhead shared a glance before the medic clarified. “Here?”

“How?” Bulkhead inquired.

“Well, I would have asked,” Starscream snapped sarcastically, his patience wearing thin. “But I was too busy squeezing through a narrow crevice, trying to keep the vermin from chewing my leg off!!” His face grew angered at the memory. “While Airachnid watched.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“That new kid you brought is weird, Darby.”

“Yeah,” another kid concurred. “What kinda girl walks with her fists clenched and her eyes shut? She walks with her flippin’ eyes shut!”

“Forget _that,”_ the first boy countered. “What kinda girl goes to the bathroom by _herself_?!”

Jack sighed. “She’s new, guys. Give her a break.”

“Yeah, I heard one of the kids saying she gave _Vince_ a break,” the kid chuckled. “She doesn’t watch out, she’s gonna be cannon fodder for that dude.”

“Let’s hope that doesn’t happen,” Jack said.

“Maybe Vince won’t notice,” Raf said, looking up from his lunch.

“Are you kidding?” The boy on the other side of the table scoffed. “Vince is pretty dumb, but he’s not blind. And he’s got the guts to hit girls, if he really wants to. We both know that.”

Jack and Raf looked at each other. Everyone knew that.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Nova looked around the hallway timidly. She thought she was supposed to go to the lunchroom, since the bells had rung for the middle of the day, but she had lost track of where Raf and Jack had gone after her English class, and she had no idea where to go.

The children crowding the hallway were chatting with one another, leaning against the walls, or busy staring at their cellphones, completely oblivious to anything else. A few seemed to be particularly interested in lunch and were walking or sitting with paper sacks in their hands. Apparently, there was no official lunchroom.

Then, she felt a hand clap on her shoulder.

“You the new kid?” a voice asked.

Nova spun around dealt a heavy blow into the shoulder of the person, who was sent sprawling to the floor.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said hurriedly, reaching out a hand to help the person up. “Reflexes, and all.”

“It’s okay.” The person, a boy with glasses and a short haircut, grasped her hand and got to his feet, and Nova realized who he was.

“Hendricks?!”

“ _You_?”

“Um,” Nova swallowed. “Hi. How are you.”

Hendricks ignored her question. “Wow! It’s really you! I — I can’t believe you’re here!”

Nova shrugged, trying to act casual. “I’m here.”

“Oh, this is incredible. You’re the girl who saved my butt! I have to introduce you to the guys, they’re gonna love you.” He smiled and gestured down the hallway. “They’re right over here. Come on.”

“I, uh…” Nova scrambled for an excuse. “I can’t. I have to go.”

“Go? Go where?” Hendricks looked disappointed. “You just got here. I’ve so many questions to ask you."

“Sorry, but maybe some other time,” Nova said sheepishly, inching away. “I really have to leave. See you around.”

She ducked into the girl’s restroom in the middle of the hallway and sighed in relief when he did not follow her.

She waited in there for ten minutes, washing her hands over and over again in an attempt to stave off the curiosity of anyone who came in, and then, she stuck her head out into the hallway. Sure enough, Hendricks was gone.

Making sure the coast was clear, Nova emerged from the restroom and walked down the hall as casually as possible, trying to ignore the stares of people around her. Looking down at the floor, she wasn’t watching where she was going, and almost crashed into someone coming around the corner of another hallway. She started and cried aloud.

“Ahh!”

“Dude, what’s the matter? I mean, I’m scary, but not _that_ scary.”

“Miko!” Nova cried, relief flooding her veins. She nearly seized Miko by the shoulders. “Where _were_ you?! I’ve been looking everywhere for someone I know!”

Miko looked confused. “Chillax, dude, I was just getting lunch.” She glanced down at the passing excuse for food that was splattered on her styrofoam plate. “I mean, if you can _call_ it that.”

“Ugh. It looks like a biology experiment gone wrong,” Nova observed, quite truthfully. “Where did you get it?”

“The cafeteria,” Miko replied, looking at Nova closely. “It’s down the hall. Are you okay? I haven’t seen anyone this torqued since Bulk thought there was a Scraplet in his room.”

“No, no, I’m fine, I just…” Nova looked around apprehensively, her voice lowering to a furtive whisper. “I’m not used to being around _so many people,_ and — and not knowing what to do.”

“You hang out with the three of us and all the ‘Bots at the same time,” Miko pointed out.

“That’s different,” Nova protested. “You aren’t strangers. Not really. I don’t … I just don’t like being crowded. I mean, don’t know _anybody_ here, and the people I do know, I have to avoid like the plague.”

“Well, you can hang out with me,” Miko said. “I’ll point out the important things for ya.”

Nova gazed at Miko as if she were a saint. “You will?”

“Abso-freakin’-lutely!” Miko cried, throwing an arm around Nova’s shoulder. “Anything for my bro.”

Nova frowned. “But aren’t we supposed to eat in the lunchroom?”

“Nah,” Miko said. “The school lets us eat wherever. But Jack-Attack and Raf always eat in the cafeteria anyway, so I usually go and sit with ‘em; make their group a little more rad.” She winked at Nova. “But today they told me they lost you after English class, so I offered to pick up the slack, find you, and give you the grand tour.”

“Thanks,” said Nova. “It’s good to have a friend.”

Miko saw that her eyes still had that anxious, almost crazed look in them, as if she was suffering from sensory overload.

“So, what’s up with you?” Miko asked as they walked.

“I think this school is crazy,” Nova said softly, as if it was a secret.

“Why?”

Nova turned to her, a haunted look in her eyes. “Do you have any idea what kinds of things I’ve learned so far?”

Miko raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”

“Since stepping foot in this school, I think I learned seven human curse words, half of them directed at me for walking too slow or being confused; I’ve been offered what is most likely an illegal substance _twice_ , and I’ve heard of this new thing called “social media” which is completely over my head, but everyone’s in on it! What is Snapchat? Is it a song? A food? A weapon?”

Miko chuckled. “Oh, I get it.” She patted Nova on the shoulder. “You have a lot to learn, my young homeschooled bud. First thing you need to know: social media’s _totally_ not new. Second thing you need to know: don’t take anything people give you unless you run it by me or Raf.”

“Why not Jack?”

Miko rolled her eyes. “If you tell him you were offered drugs, and Jack let it slip to his mom, we’d all be in trouble.”

“Oh,” Nova said, her eyes wide.

“Don’t worry about it,” Miko said with a smile, dumping her tray in the trash and looping arms with her friend. “ _This_ school might seem crazy, but really it’s boring as slag. Now, let me point out the people you need to know If you go here.”

“I already know you, and Jack, and Raf,” Nova said, confused. “Why do I need to know anyone else?”  
“Just pay attention.” Miko groaned. “I can’t believe I’m starting to sound like Ratchet the Hatchet.”

They walked down the hallway, arm-in-arm, and Nova felt relieved to have someone to walk with. It made the hallways seem much smaller.

“See that girl over there?” Miko asked, pointing across Nova’s arms. “That’s Sierra, and her blonde friend, Cassidy. Jack has the hots for Sierra.”

Nova scrunched up her forehead in confusion. “I don’t know what that means.”

“It means he — _ugh_ ,” Miko growled in disgust. “Jack _likes_ her.”

“Oh,” Nova said, her wide eyes turning toward the redhead. “Yes, he’s told me about her a couple of times.”

“Yeah, he’s got it bad,” Miko nodded. “Sierra and Cassidy are both _weird_. They’ll whisper about something, and then they’ll laugh about nothing, and then they’ll stare at Jack for no reason. In my opinion, it’s gross. Moving on.”

Next, Miko pointed to another girl standing at her locker and surrounded by a troupe of other girls.Her hair was shoulder-length, a purest blonde, and her clothes were modest but a very deep pink color. Swinging from the sides of her face were two silver star-shaped earrings, sparkling in the hallway’s harsh light.

The girl was laughing with her friends, who looked to be having a good time unlike so many of the other teenagers at school. Looking at them made Nova feel inadequate, somehow. How was she supposed to be as social and popular as they were?

Nova let out a little sigh, and Miko prodded her in the arm.

“Hey, did you hear me?”

“Huh? Uh, no,” Nova said, turning to her friend sheepishly. “I’m sorry, Miko. Tell me again.”

Miko let out a sigh. “I said, the blonde girl in the pink is a senior called Jerrica Benton. She’s pretty cool, as far as high schoolers go, even though she’s kinda girly. The redhead on the right is her sister Kimber. From what they’ve told me, their dad died a few years back, but they seem to be doing okay. Now, her and her friend-group like to talk rock music at lunch and stuff. They talk to me a lot, they’re not ditzy like most popular kids, and I think they like Slash Monkey almost as much as I do! Is that cool, or what?”

“Yeah,” Nova said. “Cool.”

“Over there is Alexis Thi Dang with her buddies Rad White and Carlos Lopez—we call him ‘Frijoles.’ To the right — break-dancing by the boombox — are Raoul, Poplock, and Rocksteady. Those aren’t their real names, but they are all _super_ awesome. And over there’s — oh, no.”

Miko groaned and covered her eyes.

“What?” Nova asked. “What is it?”

“It’s Astoria. Rich girl with _no_ filter. If we go near her, she’ll yak your ears off. Seriously, she talks more than I do. Let’s go down this hallway, huh?”

Miko dragged Nova down another hallway, where they unceremoniously crashed into a teacher who was heading in the opposite direction.

“Care to watch where you’re going, Miss Nakadai?” The man, who was middle-aged and balding, glared down at Miko with one eyebrow raised. Nova recognized him as one of the English teachers.

“Sorry, Mr. Furman,” Miko said, getting up from the floor. “I was just showing the new kid around.”

“I see,” the man said with a weary sigh. “Well, see to it that you stay out of trouble, before I have to teach you a short, sharp lesson in discipline. Understand?”

“Yes, sir,” Miko replied amicably, snapping her fingers and pointing at him. “See you in detention on Monday, Mr. Furman!”

“Ah, yes, I had forgotten,” the teacher said, putting a hand to his forehead. “I get all the dirty jobs around here…”

He walked down the hallway with more phrases mumbled under his breath, and Miko jerked her thumb back at him.

“Mr. Furman, the English teacher,” she explained quickly. “Just when we think he won’t assign us homework, we realize — it never ends!”

She laughed, and Nova cocked her head, not understanding the joke.

“Um, never mind,” Miko said. “Let’s go back and find something else to do. Ugh, at this school, it would be so sweet if we could just blow something up already.” A sudden light came into her eyes. “Hey, you think Ratchet would be able to build a space laser—”

“Sure,” Nova agreed, heading for the school’s modest, three-bookshelf library. “He _could_ build one, but the day he gives it to you is the day they put circles in Minecraft.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“The reason for our inability to locate Breakdown's signal is all too clear,” Megatron said, pacing back and forth in front of Dreadwing on the bridge of the Nemesis. “But how is it that you were unable to recover his remains?” He demanded this with a snarl, making his second in command more than a little uncomfortable.

Before this interrogation could go any further, Soundwave alerted Megatron from where he stood at the ship’s monitor.

"What is it?” Megatron asked. Soundwave opened the incoming transmission, and the lines on the screen danced with the waves of Airachnid’s voice as she asked a pertinent question.

“Heard from Breakdown lately?” she inquired with sickly sweetness.

“Trace the communication,” Megatron ordered. Soundwave got right on it, pinpointing the location as Airachnid continued.

“Megatron, truly. You sent simple henchman to terminate a high-ranking officer. I thought you reserved that honor for yourself.”

“Is that a challenge?” Megatron demanded of the computer angrily.

“An invitation,” she replied. “And since Soundwave is, no doubt, tracing this signal, you know where to find me.”

The transmission ceased, and sure enough, the computer had detected the source of the signal at a certain place on the globe, in South America.

Megatron looked at it once, and rose to his full height in determination.

“I’ll be back,” he said, turning to stride off the bridge.

Dreadwing spoke up, beseeching his master. “Allow me to accompany you,” he said, hoping to remedy his failures.

Megatron thoroughly squashed this hope. “You already had your chance.”

With that, he left in hot pursuit of the signal, leaving Dreadwing to stay behind and think over what should be done.Airachnid had challenged his leader to a duel, and Dreadwing knew for a fact that she would play by her own rules, leading Megatron straight into a trap. No matter what his lord had said, the Seeker knew he had to do _something_.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“The coordinates Starscream provided are within an abandoned Decepticon mine,” Ratchet reported, looking at the same signal on the Autobots’ monitor.

“Hold on,” Arcee said from behind him, a twinge of anger in her voice. “You just fixed him up and sent him on his way?”

“What were we supposed to do?” Bulkhead asked defensively. “Take him back here?”

Arcee just glared at him and Ratchet. “Not that I wouldn't jump at any chance to put Airachnid down, but she isn't the only one who's robbed me of a partner,” she said, hate filling her voice. They all knew the story of how Starscream had killed Cliffjumper, her best friend, and Airachnid had done the same, terminating Tailgate eons before.

“You weren't there, Arcee,” Bulkhead said calmly. “Starscream was weak, defenseless.”

“And learning of the Insecticon could prove highly tactical,” Ratchet put in matter-of-factly. “Starscream's intel has proved credible in the past.”

The two-wheeler scoffed. “Sure, when he wasn't busy stabbing us in the back!”

The thudding of heavy feet and the authoritative, low voice of their leader interrupted her harsh statement.

“Without the resources we possessed on Cybertron, we lack ready means of capturing and imprisoning our enemies,” Optimus said gravely. “Nonetheless, I do not condone the termination of any defenseless life-form.”

He had been in the back, organizing their Energon reserves and wondering how Nova was getting along in school. Today, it had been too quiet in the base for his liking. Now this information provided by Starscream also provided him with a distraction from his thoughts.

Still, his mind wandered. How would Nova interact with the other human children? She had told him about her run-in with Vince a while before. What if the same thing happened again? Of course, normally Optimus trusted her to resolve it with minimal conflict, but the recent event of her brother dying had put her in a state he was still unsure of.

He shouldn’t have let Nova go with June, not without making sure she was fit to be thrust into human culture. Letting her go had been foolish of him, but Ratchet had told him that this was the right thing to do. And June was rightfully Nova’s aunt and relative, he reminded himself. She would be cared for.

Optimus only hoped she was holding up. When she came back, he intended to have a long talk with her, and hopefully understand how he could be a better guardian.

If she ever came back.

His thoughts faltered as he pored over a new possibility. What if Nova _wanted_ to stay with June and the humans? He had never considered that risk before.

“So, what, we’re gonna go be pest control now?” Arcee asked, bringing him back to the present. “Is that the kind of thing we do nowadays?”

“If there is indeed an Insecticon on Earth,” Optimus replied, “And it is under Airachnid’s control, it could very well pose a threat to humans and Cybertronians alike. We must resolve this conflict before it becomes detrimental to anyone’s safety, including ours.”

The same was true with Nova, he thought, as the other Autobots prepared to roll out. What if her conflict was yet unresolved? And what if she never came back?

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

The lightning and hideous roiling clouds rolled across the sky as Megatron sped through it, his Cybertronian jet-mode shrieking louder than the thunder around him. The lightning crashed within dangerous inches of his metal chassis, but he flew on unafraid as he journeyed to meet the challenge which had been posed to him. Airachnid would pay for her treachery, no matter what she had in store for him.

Spotting the cave which Soundwave had located, Megatron shot downward and transformed within the cavernous space, his armor and limbs whirring into place as he got to his feet stoically.

Just before him, the two glowing purple eyes of Airachnid rose up from behind a rock, followed by her body and many lethal, slender appendages. A femme of her caliber could do serious damage to an ordinary mech. But Megatron was not an ordinary mech.

“You don’t waste time,” she remarked observantly.

He raised his charged fusion cannon at her head. “Your stay of execution has come to an end!”

Suddenly, a heavy weight was dropped on Megatron’s back, and he found himself fighting for his life underneath the body of a huge Insecticon.

Though Megatron had been caught unawares, he mustered his strength and threw it off of him with a grunt, and the beast howled in bloodthirsty rage as it stalked a short distance away, glaring at him with a glowing red visor and a chitter of vengeful promise.

What in the Pit was an Insecticon doing here?

Airachnid jumped out of range of the two fighters. “I will leave you two to get acquainted,” she said, perching atop a rocky ledge above her cavernous arena.

Megatron watched her leave, but refused to be swayed. He knew what was happening here. Airachnid had lured him in to be bested by her minion, but to let such a valuable warrior go to waste would be foolhardy. Megatron decided to give it one chance to live. He would deal with this beast, and then he would deal with Airachnid the same way he always planned to deal with traitors — mercilessly.

He looked the Insecticon in the optics.

“Bow before Megatron,” he growled sternly. “Your _leader._ ”

The beast, unheeding, let loose a hideous shriek and launched itself at Megatron, its footsteps shaking the cavern.

Megatron raised his fusion cannon. “I said, ‘bow’—”

— But was interrupted by the beast leaping at his head and overpowering his body, digging its sharp claws into him and launching Megatron at the opposite wall. Expertly, Megatron flew through the air and tumbled to land on his feet, raising his head to glare into the beast’s eyes.

_Very well, then._

He readied himself, but the Insecticon charged through his defensive stance and grabbed his body along the way, pinning Megatron underneath it against the wall. Megatron struggled in its grip, his rage building as the pedipalps of the Insecticon wiggled closer, closer, its huge, sharpened teeth following just behind.

The warlord struggled in the beast’s grasp for a moment longer, then shoved the Insecticon back with a mighty blow and shot it, his fusion cannon letting out a huge blast as the Insecticon fell away with a roar.

It recovered quickly, and in an almost primal rage, the beast transformed head-over-heels into the alt mode of an enormous flying rhinoceros beetle, its wings whirring angrily in the cave and its body propelled toward Megatron with deadly force, its horn thrust toward the gladiator in an intent to kill.

Unafraid, Megatron raised his fusion cannon again, but felt his arm thrown back by a glob of webbing that had been plastered upon it, followed by another web fired from Airachnid’s wrists far above. Megatron glared up at her, but he had no time to retaliate, for the beast was coming at him.

The Insecticon took advantage of Megatron’s lack of focus and rammed the warlord up against the far wall, his body hitting the solid rock with a horrible _clang_ as he fell into the beast’s waiting clutches, dazed. The Insecticon did not give the Decepticon any time to recover, and launched him up into the air.

As Megatron hung there, suspended, the Insecticon lashed out with its deadly claws and sliced a talon right between Megatron’s neck and his shoulder, sending a spout of bright blue Energon into the air.

The Cybertronian warlord began to fall, and the Insecticon rose into the air above him on opalescent wings before streaking downward at the speed of a bullet and firing its red lasers at Megatron all the way down, hitting him several times. The Decepticon warlord hit the ground with another loud _clang_ , and the Insecticon landed before him with a fury that made the walls shake.

All was silent as Megatron got to his feet, wiping the spilled Energon from his face and inspecting it as if he was curious about finding it there.

Airachnid smiled above them as the Insecticon charged forward once again, counting on Megatron being severely weakened after the numerous attacks inflicted upon him, but the femme and the Insecticon were about to be surprised.

As the Insecticon leaped at him, Megatron swung his arm back and struck out at the beast, sending it flying to the other side of the cave with a mighty blow that would have put the proudest warrior to shame.

The Insecticon hit the wall and slowly slid to the ground, incapacitated for a moment, and Airachnid’s dark glee quickly gave way to shock as she looked about for a simple escape. If Megatron could best her Insecticon minion, she was surely doomed, because he would come for her next.

“You and your beast would do well to remember — I honed my skills in the pits of Kaon!” Megatron roared up at the shocked femme, standing firmly on his own two feet in the center of the cave. He was the very picture of invincibility.

But the Insecticon was not done yet. With another horrible screech, it lumbered to its feet and charged at the warlord for another attempt on his life, but this time, Megatron was ready. He flung out the blade under his fusion cannon, which sliced easily through Airachnid’s restricting webbing, and ran to meet the Insecticon head-on.

The two titans collided in the center of the cave, and the sounds of their mighty struggle echoed through the entire cavern as a viridescent Groundbridge materialized outside the cave, permitting entrance to Bulkhead, Arcee, Bumblebee, and Optimus Prime amidst the lightning and the thunder crashing through the dark skies. The Autobots had arrived.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“Nova?” Miko waved a hand in front of her friend’s listless face. “Nov-ster?” She snapped her fingers in Nova’s ear. “C’mon, dude, snap out of it."

“Nova,” Jack called, tapping his cousin on the shoulder. “Hey, you ok?”

Startled, the half-spark snapped out of her trance. “What?”

“You spaced out,” Jack said, a concerned look in his eyes. “Like you didn’t even know we were there.”

“Oh.” Nova shook her head and smiled at them a little, trying to be reassuring. Miko thought it looked like a grimace. “I’m sorry. I’m fine; just a little tired. I lost concentration.”

“Yeah, we know,” Miko said, rolling her eyes. “The bell just rang for the end of school, and you didn’t notice. Do you even know what class you were in last period?”

“Um…” Nova thought for a second. “No.”

“Heh. Me neither,” concurred Miko, shrugging indifferently. “I just know it was boring.”

“It was _science_ class,” Raf interrupted. “And the teacher tried to call on you twice, Nova, but you didn’t answer. It was like everyone was made of window glass or something.”

“I didn’t get in trouble?” Nova asked.

Raf shook his head. “No. The teacher noticed you were a new student, so she let you sit on your own until class ended.”

“Phew.” Nova pretended to wipe her brow. “I was afraid I would have to go through detention with Miko on Monday.”

Miko squinted at her evilly. “It would have been the most fun you’ve ever had in school, and you know it,” she said with a diabolical smile. Nova pretended to shudder, but smiled back.

“Anyway,” Jack said, bringing them back to the present. “The bots shouldn’t be back for a few minutes, so we’ve got some time to kill.”

“How ‘bout we go outside?” Miko asked. “Cyber-kid here looks like she could use some air.”

“Okay,” Raf said. “We can always finish our homework outside.”

Miko gave him a look. “Homework? You kidding me?” She glanced at Nova and jerked a thumb back at the smaller boy. “Can you believe this guy?”

“That sounds nice,” Nova said. “Let’s go outside.”

With that, she walked out the door.

“For someone who just got her brother killed and spent her first day in an American public high school, she’s acting … okay?” Miko said.

“Apart from the zoning out,” Jack reminded her.

Raf looked up at them. “Have you guys noticed how sad she looks when she does that?”

The three of them looked at each other in silence.

“We need to talk to her,” Jack said finally, his voice echoing in the now-empty halls.

“Yeah, I think we do,” Raf nodded, but he cocked his head uncertainly. “Hey, do you guys hear something?”

Miko listened.

“Yeah,” she said, turning toward the door. “It’s coming from outside. Sounds like yelling.”

She broke into a run, Jack and Raf close behind her.

Once the three kids emerged into the daylight, the first thing they saw was Nova, sprawled out on the ground with her hands above her head protectively. The second thing they saw was Vince, standing above her with rage in his eyes. The look on his face could frighten Frankenstein.

“Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!” Students all around the schoolyard chanted, whipping out their phones to view the spectacle.

“Vince!” Jack said, reacting first. “Stop!”

“That slagger!” Miko cried, moving first. She sprinted down the steps at the speed of light and rammed into Vince, shoving him so hard he fell flat on his back.

“Miko!” Nova got up from the ground and seized Miko’s hands before she could tear into the astonished Vince. “Miko, _stop_!”

“Are you kidding? He was trying to beat up on you!”

Nova held her away from Vince and forced her to look into her eyes. “Miko, listen! If anyone is going to ‘beat up’ on me, it’s not going to be Vince. I can take six of him.”

“But—”

“Miko,” Nova intoned sternly. “I need you to go back to the others, get your things, and go home. You can’t handle him as well as I can.”

“So, what, you’re just asking us to leave you with that moron?”

Nova let go of Miko’s arms. “Yes. Call it a favor.”

Miko huffed, darting another glare at Vince, before grumbling, “Fine.”

She marched back to Jack and Raf, her pigtails bouncing with as much anger as she could pour into them.

By this time, the whole schoolyard was staring at them. Nova looked round at all of the eyes once, and turned away.

“Where are you going, punk?” Vince sputtered, getting up from the ground. “We aren’t done yet!”

“If you’d like to continue our little confrontation, Vince,” Nova said, not turning round. “We can do so in a less public place.”

“Are you copping out on me?” Vince asked. He laughed. “You’re a coward! You’re a little sissy!”

Nova’s shoulders stiffened, and she turned her head slightly to look at Jack.

“Your rides are here,” she said simply.

The authority in her voice was enough. Jack, Miko, and Raf all turned toward the parking lot and filed away from the school. Nova listened to the car doors slam and the motorcycle engine rev up; listened to them leave.

Now, in the middle of the crowd of students, she was alone.

“You don’t have your weirdo friends to protect you now,” Vince said from behind her. “Time to face the music.”

Nova’s shoulders loosened, and she turned to face her opponent. She said nothing.

“Well?” Vince asked, getting in her face. “What do you have to say for yourself, fool?”

She stared at him, never flinching. This only infuriated Vince further, and the crowd of teenage onlookers began to cheer and boo, incited by the new development.

“Fight him, girl!” One of the teenage boys shouted. It was Hendricks. “You can take Vince, he’s a wimp!”

Nova ignored him.

Vince did not.

He whirled around to Hendricks, a wild look in his eyes. “You wanna see a wimp?! I’ll show you a wimp!”

He flung his fist back around, and it caught Nova square in the jaw. Her head jerked back. He did it again. _Crack_.

The half-spark stumbled back a little, wincing, but she did not fall.

The crowd gasped, waiting and filming with their phones to see what the reaction of the new student would be. No one did anything.

And neither did Nova. She steadied herself, planting her feet, and looked Vince straight in the eye, a smear of dark blue blood trickling down her right cheek.

“Well?! Fight back, you alien freak!” Vince shouted, rearing back for another swing. He had grabbed a few pieces of metal and glass that lay strewn on the ground around them, and stuck them between his fingers.

Nova turned her head the other way, and this time, his angry fist left three wet gashes in her left cheek.

The crowd gasped again, and Nova raised her head with a soft grunt. Her face was twisted into a painful expression, but not from the punches. It was as if she were trying to suppress something. But her eyes never left Vince’s.

“What are you doing?” Vince cried, looking around nervously. “Fight me!”

Nova stared at him.

Vince quailed, a sign of panic beginning to show in his pale face, but he tried to mask it with another challenge.

“You’d better fight me, punk, or I’ll beat you up and leave you here for dead.”

She just stared at him.

Enraged, he let the metal shards fall to the ground and punched her again, in the face, _crack!_ over and over and over until he had to stop for breath. “Fight back, already!”

The half-spark tilted her head a little, met his eyes through all of the blood.

“No,” she said.

With that one word, Vince’s face blanched. It was as if he had been shot.

Then, police sirens blared. Vince’s shocked expression snapped into one of terror as he looked around. With a sudden fear and a realization of what he had done, he growled and shoved his way through the crowd of students, who were already running in a panic, here and there and everywhere.

“Outta my way! Move it!”

“Oh, man, it’s the cops!”

“Run!”

Nova stood there in the chaos of fleeing students, motionless, locking eyes with the one girl she saw holding a phone to her ear. It was Sierra, the girl Jack talked about so much.

Through the bleeding and the bruises, Nova smiled at her, and the redheaded girl nodded back.

Then, Sierra was lost in all the confusion, and the half-spark turned away. It was time to go home.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How'd you like the episode bits? And the fight scenes? 
> 
> Okay, one of my favorite parts of the entire TFP show is where Megatron fights the Insecticon. It just shows how truly skilled he is as a gladiator and how he will take the fight to anybody. I think that's awesome, don't you? 
> 
> I don't think my writing can ever live up to the visual artistry and genius of the show, but whatever!
> 
> Let me know what you thought in the comments!


	6. Burden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Coby will get a funeral, and Breakdown won't (sob). 
> 
> Honestly, you feel bad for Knock Out too, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter doesn't technically "happen" in the show, but I thought I'd put it in because this part of the story is kind of important, for reasons. 
> 
> And now ...  
> ...  
> ...  
> an EPIGRAPH
> 
> "I have learned now that while those who speak about one's miseries usually hurt, those who keep silence hurt more."  
> C.S. Lewis 
> 
> (Hey, he's one of my favorites, okay?)

“We had a really crazy day today,” Jack mumbled into his helmet as Arcee took off onto the cracked asphalt of the main road.

“You too, huh?”

“Yeah. My mom sent Nova to school with us. We thought it’d be great, you know, being able to show her around and help her make friends and stuff, but she kept spacing out in every class, and she got lost. Then, we ran into Vince at the end of the day, and he remembered her from when she ran into him during one of his bullying sessions. So now he’s fighting with her in front of the school.”

“Ouch,” Arcee said.

“Uh, yeah. Look, Arcee? Can we turn around? Nova told us to leave before things got out of hand, but I just hate to think about what’ll happen if we leave her there.”

“She’ll be fine,” Arcee said calmly.

Jack looked at her in disbelief. “How can you say that?”

“She’s fought Decepticons on her own, Jack. Trust me when I say this, she’ll be fine.”

The boy on the motorcycle stammered. “B-but, she can’t use her armor or her weapons without blowing her cover. She can't fight Vince at all.”

“I know,” Arcee said.

“Shouldn’t we call Optimus, or something?” asked Jack. “I mean, wouldn’t he like to know what’s going on?”

“I’m sure he would,” Arcee replied. “But he knows as well as I do that a big rig driving up to a high school in Jasper isn’t exactly a common occurrence. If any of us try to help her, it will only make things worse.”

“Then let us go back — me and Miko and Raf,” Jack asked. “It’ll be better than leaving her behind and letting her get hurt.”

“She won’t get hurt,” the motorcycle replied, taking the curve of the road smoothly. “You’re forgetting she’s not a normal kid.”

“But—” Jack asked, and then he stopped, because he saw someone waving at him from the sidewalk.

“It’s Sierra,” he realized.

“Wanna pull over?”

“Yeah.”

Arcee let him steer her to the curb, where Sierra stood in the red dust of Nevada, clutching her schoolbooks to her chest. Her red hair bounced in the breeze as she stared at the boy taking off his helmet.

“Hey,” Jack said, sheepishly waving.

“Hey,” she replied, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “Um, I just wanted to let you know that your friend’s okay. I called the police, and she made it out after Vince was scared away.”

Jack’s eyes widened. “W-wow. Thank you, Sierra, that was really awesome.”

“I was just trying to help,” she replied, smiling. “I thought I’d let you know so you wouldn’t have to worry.”

Jack stared at her for a long time before he finally got more words out. “Uh, yeah, thanks. Th-thanks a lot.”

She looked at him expectantly for a moment, but when the boy didn’t get off his motorcycle and began to look uncomfortable, Sierra smiled and gave him a little wave.

“Bye,” she said.

“Well, I — I, uh, yeah, sure, bye to you. Too. Bye to you also — oh, _stupid_.” Jack babbled to himself uselessly until Sierra had passed out of sight.

“Smooth moves, hotshot,” Arcee said sarcastically.

“I know, I know,” Jack said sheepishly, as the motorcycle sped down the road once again. “I didn’t exactly have a speech prepared.”

“It doesn’t take a speech to say goodbye,” she replied in her dry voice. There was a long pause before she asked him a question. “You still wanna turn around for Nova?”

“Hm?” Jack was lost in thought. “Oh… uh, no, I think she’s got it. I showed her the way home.”

“If you’re sure,” Arcee replied.

“Yeah,” Jack said. “I mean, like you said, she’s not a normal kid. She can make it.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Bulkhead tried to interrupt Miko’s excited narrative of what she was sure had happened at the school. “Miko, are you sure they were about to fight?”

“Yeah! Vince called her out and looked like he was about to go ballistic. I knew they were gonna fight, and I was totally stoked, but then Nova told us to leave. Can we turn around, Bulk? I really wanna go help or watch or something.”

“Uh… I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Miko,” her guardian replied. “It sounds like Nova wanted to handle it on her own. I know when Optimus or Ratchet says something like that, they mean it.”

“Awwh. Since when has that mattered?” Miko asked. “No one lets me do anything fun.”

“Wasn’t going to school with her fun?” Bulkhead asked.

“No. She spaced out like every five minutes. It was like she wasn’t even there.”

“Huh,” Bulkhead said softly. “I wonder why.”

At this, Miko grew silent.

“You’re right, Bulk,” she said at length. “Nova just lost her brother. I shouldn’t be so insensitive.”

“I think all of us have been pretty insensitive,” Bulkhead replied. “Most of the time we just ignore her when we should really be helpin’ her. Except for Optimus, anyway,” he added. “Can’t remember the last time he ignored her. Now I guess he feels like he’s got to.”

“Yeah,” Miko said. She looked out the window sadly. “Bulkhead?”

“Huh?”

“It just isn’t fair. We all get to go home every day after school and see our Bots, but when Nova needs to see Optimus the most, she isn’t allowed to.”

“W-well, maybe it’s good for her,” Bulkhead said, trying to think of how. “I mean, she’s … gotten to interact with more kids because of today, right?”  
Miko scoffed. “Yeah, but she got into a fight with Vince over it. She looked so sad for the whole day. I didn’t even get to make her laugh.”

“Laugh?”

“Uh-huh. I wanted to make her laugh today, or feel better or _something_ , but it didn’t work.”

Bulkhead was silent for a long time. Luckily, Miko broke the silence for him.

“Hey, Bulk?”

“Yeah.”

“Could you … tell me about your day?”

His steering wheel insignia blinked in surprise. “Uh, sure, Miko, sure.”

She didn’t offer a response, so Bulkhead made a sound like he was clearing his throat and started to talk.

“Well, long story short, we, uh, had to go take care of an Insecticon we heard about from Starscream—”

“Insecticon?” Miko was suddenly excited. “What’s _that_?”

“Well, it’s a Con that’s kinda like a bug bot that turns into a different bug,” he replied. “It’s big, too. And tough. Really tough. They were the Dinobots’ worst enemies back on Cybertron.”

“But they weren’t tougher than the Bots, right?” Miko asked eagerly.

“Not if they were alone,” Bulkhead continued. “Anyway, this one was duking it out with Megatron by the time we got there, and we—”

“Wait, Megatron was there?” Miko gasped.

“Yeah. I didn’t hear all of it, but apparently Airachnid lured him there to make him fight the Insecticon so she could take over the Decepticons, or something, and we were told about it by Starscream just in time to run into all three of them at once.”

“Whoa. Sounds like a major smackdown,” Miko said. “C’mon, what happened next? Gimme the scoop, Bulk!”

Her guardian chuckled a little at her fervor. “Okay. So we watched Megatron fight the big bug, right, and it turned out to be an epic smackdown, but it took a while. When he finally defeated the Insecticon, Arcee noticed Airachnid was there, and ran after her. Optimus tried to stop her, as usual, but you know how Arcee gets when she’s around her nemesis.”

“Triggered.”

“Yup. So she ran off on her own, and that left the rest of us to face the bad dudes. Luckily, by that time ol’ Megs was pretty winded, so Optimus didn’t have any trouble showing ‘im the business end of his blasters. He was all set to wreck Megatron then and there, but suddenly we were dropped in on by a bunch of Vehicons, led by Dreadwing—”

“Dreadwing was there?! What was this, some kinda Con party?”

“Sure seemed like it. Anyway, there we were, surrounded by Cons, in the middle of the cave.”

“What’d you do?”

“Before we could do anything, Dreds took out his own guns and leveled ‘em at Optimus, and told him to let Megatron go or else we’d get scrapped. Now I knew Bee and I could take a coupla Vehicons now that the Insecticon was out of the way, but Optimus decided to let Megatron go once he had Dreadwing’s word that they wouldn’t open fire.”

Miko made an “ugggh” sound from the seat. “Why would Prime do that?”

“Well, if you really wanna know, you should ask him,” Bulkhead answered. “I think it has something to do with Nova. She had to kill her brother a few days back, and I guess Optimus just wasn’t ready to kill his. Me, I wouldn’t have a problem scrapping Buckethead if it meant the war could be over.”

“Me neither,” Miko said.

“Wanna hear what happened next?”

“Yeah!”  
Bulkhead took another turn in the road, following Arcee. “Well, Dreadwing kept his word all right, but Megatron never gave us his, so he ordered the Vehicons to scrap us.”

“And I bet you totally trashed ‘em.”

Bulkhead laughed. “Yeah. We totally did.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“So after that, Dreadwing just took Megatron and left?” Raf asked.

Bumblebee beeped an affirmative.

“How did Arcee get out? I thought you said Airachnid trapped her in her cyber webs.”

The steering wheel blinked rapidly as the Autobot ran off a string of responses, which made the boy turn from the window in surprise.

“Starscream?” Raf asked. “Why would he save her?”  
Bumblebee didn’t know.

“Oh,” Raf said, turning back to the window. “I guess he was just trying to get in good with the Autobots in case he ever needed the help.”

He sighed a little, and Bumblebee beeped a question.

“No, I’m fine, Bee, I just think it would be nice if one of the Decepticons could come over to our side. It’s been a super long war for you guys, I know, and I hope that the way you can end it is with… you know, friendship, and forgiveness.” He sighed. “But that’s just a silly dream. It’s not like we kids can do anything.”

The boy fell silent, and Bumblebee decided to change the subject. He buzzed and beeped a little, more brightly.

“How was my day?” Raf repeated. “Oh, it was fine, I guess. Having Nova at school was kinda fun. At least until she ran into Vince. I hope she’s okay.”

An encouraging beep. Bumblebee was at the end of the line of three vehicles, and they were almost home.

After a long silence, Raf spoke up.

“Bumblebee? Do you think Mrs. Darby will let Nova come back to the base anytime soon?”

The Autobot gave a long, angry string of buzzes in response, and the boy smiled a little.

“You don’t need to be rude, Bee. She’s not that bad, she just tried to do what’s best for Nova.”

Bumblebee’s response communicated that he was not convinced. Neither was Raf, but he wouldn’t say that aloud.

“Well, I hope Nova gets to come back soon,” Raf said, watching the yellow line on the road wearily. “Until she does, it’s not really a home anymore.”

The yellow Camaro, lost in thought, did not respond.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Nova scuffed her feet a little and reached up to key in the code for the Darbys’ garage. June had said she wasn’t going to be home until late, but Nova had a feeling that if she snuck off to the base, her aunt would find out and ship her off to some other country to live with distant relatives, or something.

So she had marched home, covering her face with her sweatshirt as best she could. Despite her efforts, her bloodied face invited stares from the people of Jasper as she passed them on the busy streets. A few times, she had been mistaken for a hitchhiker and offered a ride, but she had politely declined and kept walking, until she was on the doorstep of her aunt’s house.

She stepped inside, feeling the smooth concrete floor of the garage underneath her feet as she walked to the door and pressed the button for the bigger one to close.

The door slid shut with a rattling noise, and Nova found herself in the hallway behind the Darbys’ kitchen, the soft lights illuminating the pale white walls.

“Home sweet home?” Nova said to herself. She was pretty sure the house was empty.

The half-spark passed through the laundry room and ventured into the kitchen, spotting a pale yellow note on the fridge that read: _BACK BY 11. SUPPER IS IN THE FRIDGE. DON’T LEAVE THE HOUSE._

Nova peeled the note off and threw it away, then took a seat in one of the bar stools by the counter and breathed a heavy sigh.

“What am I going to do?”

Her mind drew a blank. Normally, at this time of day, she would be helping Ratchet with chores and waiting for the kids to come back from school. More likely, she would probably be with Optimus somewhere, asking him questions or just sitting near and watching him work. Her half-heart ached to think of her friends. She missed all of them, even Ratchet, but she missed her guardian the most. And she missed Coby.

Nova hadn’t really allowed herself to think about Coby all day, but the past few days were always lingering in her mind, causing her to lose focus of where she was and what she was doing. It was like having a song stuck in your head. You could refuse to sing it all you wanted, but it was still there, and you couldn’t get rid of it easily on your own.

The girl put her throbbing head in her hands and sighed again. While running her fingers over her cheek, her hands came away blue and red, and the half-spark realized she was still bleeding from the wounds brought about by the “fight” with Vince.

Nova knew from what Ratchet told her that she was low on energy and could not keep regenerating on her own. Normally, that would mean that she needed Energon, but in this house, that meant she needed food.

Nova raised her head, then looked at the fridge before her. If she was going to be alone in the house all night, she might as well make the best of it.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Optimus involuntarily looked toward the main entrance of the base, watching Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Arcee roll in and transform with their human charges. A brief flicker of hope shone in his Spark as he thought of the possibility that Nova could be with them …

And died the next instant as he realized she was not there, nor would be for a very long time.

The children seemed a little downcast, he realized. Their mood changed very quickly when Bulkhead brought up the suggestion of a movie night, to which Miko readily agreed. Jack and Raf shrugged a little and smiled at each other, accepting the fact that they would have absolutely no say in what movie was picked. Miko always picked the monster films. Tonight’s pick, she announced, was going to be Predator.

As the girl readily went about making preparations for the movie, much to Ratchet’s annoyance, the boys followed her up to the human corner of the base, the home of the ancient, blocky TV and battered couch. Raf took a seat and flipped open his laptop, but Optimus stopped the other boy with a quiet word.

“Jack.”

Thankfully, he never called him Jackson.

“Oh, hey, Optimus,” Jack said amicably, looking up from his phone. “What’s up?”

Optimus bent down to the railing to speak with him further. “If I may ask, did any of you see Nova at school today?”

“Yeah, we spent the day with her,” Jack said. “Why?”

“Would you … mind telling me what happened?”  
The teen nodded briefly. “Sure, but I don’t know if you’re gonna like it.”

Optimus tilted his head toward him. “Proceed.”

So Jack told him about the whole day, how Nova had seemed distant from others, how she wouldn’t respond to questions in class, and how she had gotten lost a few times. Miko chimed in and told him about the tour, whom she had met, and her fearful reactions to people, but when they came to the part of the story with Vince in it, Raf spoke up.

“Hey guys? Apparently we weren’t the only kids interested in Vince’s fight today. There’s a lot of videos posted on the Internet.” He pointed to his computer for emphasis. “Come look.”

Miko paused the movie. The other two humans sat on either side of Raf on the faded couch cushions, and Optimus came to stand behind them as Raf selected a video and hit the spacebar to play it.

“This is from this afternoon, right before we left,” he explained.  
“Ooh, check out the raw footage,” Miko breathed quietly.

The video was shaky one, apparently the work of some teen’s cellphone, but whoever it was had gotten a good view of the fight from the crowd behind the bully, and Nova could be seen clearly over Vince’s shoulder. Raf skipped the first few moments of the video, in which Nova had told Miko to leave, and then resumed it when Vince shouted out his initial challenge.

“She doesn’t wanna hurt Vince,” Jack observed, watching Nova’s reaction to the boy’s threats.

“But she’s gonna get — Oh! There it is. He actually hit her. Wait for it…” Miko pointed as Vince threw his first punch at Nova’s face. But Nova did not return the blow, and Miko frowned in confusion.

“Wait, why didn’t she do anything?”

Rafael didn’t dare turn around, but he could practically feel Optimus frowning behind them as he watched the gory result of each blow.

After what seemed like an eternity, the video ended, and the humans looked at the stilled screen in silence for a moment.

“Guys, do you think she’s okay?” Jack asked.

“I don’t know,” Raf replied. “She’s alive, anyway, but I thought for sure Nova would defend herself. We all know she could do it. Why do you think she just let him do that to her?”

“Maybe she knew the smackdown would be too much for him,” Miko shrugged.

“I think it’s something else,” Raf said.

“Wait. Did you see the expression on her face?” Jack asked suddenly, rewinding the video to when the half-spark calmly responded to Vince’s panicked threat.

“She looks … angry?” Miko asked.

“No, no. She looked like she was in pain,” Jack said, reaching over to rewind the video again. “See?”

Miko rolled her eyes. “Well, yeah, she got punched.”

“No, no, it was a different pain,” Jack denied. “It looked almost like she was gonna throw up.”

Raf shut the computer. “Jack, she hates to hurt humans. Like you said, she didn’t want to hurt Vince.”

“But why?” Miko asked frustratedly. “That guy’s a grade-a punk.”

“Because Nova had to kill her own brother,” Raf responded. “If I had to do that, I’d never want to hurt anyone ever again. I wouldn’t even want to show my face outside again.”

Miko was silent, considering this.

Raf continued. “Think about it. Nova was made to be a human weapon, remember? MECH made her to be a killer, but the only time she’s ever had to do that was to kill her own brother. Doing that to Coby was the hardest thing she’s ever had to go through, and now she’s been put in a situation where she has to fight someone again. That’s why she’s been so distant from us lately. She doesn’t trust herself anymore, and on the inside I bet she’s tearing herself apart.”

“You mean, it hurts her when she hurts other people?” Jack asked.

“Yeah. Mentally, at least.”

“Oh. Poor Nova,” Miko said, staring into space. 

“Yeah. Poor Nova.” Raf shook his head glumly, a frown stuck on his face. “We made her go through school after all that. _We’re_ the ones who shouldn’t show our faces outside again.” He looked at the ground sadly. “She just needs her family back. She doesn’t need this.”

“Uh, hey,” Jack said, turning around on the couch. “Where’s Optimus?”

The other two turned to look. Sure enough, the Prime was gone.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Dreadwing transformed and landed on the deck of the Nemesis beside Megatron as the rain pelted down around them.

“Will you be all right unaccompanied, my lord?” the new second-in-command asked, noticing his leader stumble upon transformation.

“Indeed, Dreadwing,” Megatron replied. “I must attend to some business on the bridge. Ensure that Knockout knows of the new development, won’t you?”

“He has not been informed of his partner’s death?” Dreadwing asked incredulously.

“As I understand it, our medical officer has been occupied in the infirmary since before the mission was launched,” Megatron replied. “Soundwave informed me that Knockout had not heard of the incident at the time of my departure.” He looked at his second-in-command authoritatively, though his gaze was full of weariness that could not be concealed by the rain. “Take care of this matter for me, won’t you?"

Dreadwing was silent for a moment.

“It shall be done, my lord,” he said finally.

Megatron nodded at him, and with a slight limp in his gait, he walked into the warship without another word.

Dreadwing followed at a much slower pace, trailing his master until they entered the shelter of the hangar doors and came to where the main hallway split. Megatron walked towards the bridge on the right, and Dreadwing, after hesitating for an instant, took the left passageway and continued until he came to the door of the medical bay, shrouded in shadows cast by the violet lights.

The door slid open, revealing the crimson-coloured medic leaning over a damaged piece of machinery resting on the table before him. Knock Out was not only the sole medical expert onboard the Nemesis; he was also the most qualified repairman, as of late, so everyone on the warship was expected to report to him when they encountered faulty machinery anywhere.

Needless to say, this had taken a toll on the medic’s patience.

“Dreadwing, so nice of you to drop in,” he said sarcastically, standing up from his work. “To what do I owe this unexpected visit? You’ve got a faulty landing strut, I suppose? Broken tail-rudder, perhaps?”

“I came to speak with you,” Dreadwing replied calmly. “About a matter of some importance."

Knock Out leaned away from the table and arched his back, stretching wearily. “Look, whatever it is, I’m sure Lord Megatron can wait it out for a few minutes. Could you do me a solid, and send Breakdown in here when you get the chance? My finish is looking very shoddy after all the slaving I’ve had to do in here today.”

“Breakdown is not coming,” responded Dreadwing flatly.

Knock Out sighed, fiddling with the machinery on the table. “Megatron got him busy monitoring Vehicon miners again?”

“No, he … is not here with us.”

There was a silence as Knock Out looked up at the Seeker. “Didn’t Breakdown come back with you?”

Dreadwing shook his head silently.

The medic stopped moving, his face frozen into an expression that Dreadwing could not read. His wide-eyed gaze was directed at the Seeker’s face, but with no comprehension. He was looking, but no longer seeing.

“He’s … gone, isn’t he.” Knock Out said. It was not a question.

“Breakdown was terminated, yes,” Dreadwing confirmed. “Despite all my efforts.”

Knock Out did not respond immediately, instead, his body turned listlessly to the table once again as he placed his hands on the edge of the slab.

“Who did it?” he asked, very quietly.

“Knock Out, I—”

“ _Who_ _did_ _it_?!”

Dreadwing did not know Knock Out well, but he knew better than to argue.

“It was Airachnid,” he said.

“Airachnid,” Knock Out repeated, turning to the table once again. “That web-spinning witch killed my partner.”

“I am … sorry for your loss,” Dreadwing said. Even though he was a Decepticon, he meant what he said. He knew how angry he had been when he had felt his spark-brother die. He suspected that Knock Out could only feel the same as he had in those dark days.

But to his surprise, the medic chuckled.

“Sorry? I’m sure you are,” he said aloud. “Oh, I’m sure you Decepticons just _love_ to empathize freely with each other now, is that it?! You’re _sorry!_ ” he repeated with a hiss. “That’s a laugh.”

“I am.”

Knock Out shook his head. “No, you’re not.”

Dreadwing moved towards the door. “Be that as it may, my errand here was not to comfort you,” he said. “It was merely to impart the news of the incident. I suggest you return to your duties. Megatron will be expecting your report at the end of the cycle.”

Knock Out said nothing, so Dreadwing turned without another word, and left.

But once the Seeker had exited into the hallway, he heard a loud, screeching _crash_ , as if someone had begun to drive their fists into the wall, and it was followed my many others in similar fashion. Above the next few crashes came the yelling — frantic, angered yelling. The shouting and the chaotic noises of the medibay being thoroughly and systematically demolished rang loudly out into the hallway, at least until the Second in Command had passed out of earshot.

And soon, the violent sounds were replaced by a much quieter noise.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

June came home that night at about eleven thirty. After getting out of the car, she hung up her coat in the garage, removed her outer brown sweater she always wore, and swept the hair out of her face wearily as the garage door slid shut behind her. Walking inside and switching on the lights in the laundry room, the nurse noticed a light on in the kitchen, and there was a strange noise coming from inside the house.

“Nova? Honey, are you in here?” June asked, passing into the kitchen and setting her purse on the counter. Sure enough, her niece was there. “What are you doing?”

“Making supper,” Nova replied with her back to her aunt, gesturing to the food she had sizzling in the pan. It looked to June like she was making a grilled cheese sandwich. “Want to try some?”

“Honey, I thought I told you supper was in the fridge,” June said, a little snappishly. She had had a long day at work. “What are you even making?”

“Well,” Nova began, still not turning to look at her aunt. “I thought I’d have a Signs dinner.”

“A Signs dinner?”

“Yep. It’s where you make whatever you want to make. I wanted to make some pancakes and baked potatoes,” she continued, “but you and Jack don’t have any regular milk in the fridge, only this strange ‘soymilk’ substance, so I looked around for some butter for the potatoes, but I couldn’t find any. Then I found a little bit of cheese and some bread, and so I decided to make this. It’s not quite the same as my mom’s grilled cheese, but I think I saw a can of tomato soup somewhere, so it’ll turn out just fine. Also, I made a really nice batch of fish sticks, with a little ketchup because you guys don’t have any tartar sauce.”

Nova’s head raised as she looked at the pantry cupboards in front of her. “You and Jack seem to be out of a lot of stuff. In fact, I haven’t seen any real dairy anywhere. Do you need me to help you with grocery shopping sometime?”

“Nova,” June said in exasperation. “I made food for you in the fridge. We had organic, vegan tofu for supper tonight. Why didn’t you eat that?”

“Oh, I had some of it,” the half-spark replied. “But it tasted funny, so I didn’t take more than a few bites. I did eat a lot of fish sticks, though, and most of your veggies and some apples I found in the bottom shelf, so don’t worry, I didn’t eat anything too unhealthy.”

“That’s … good,” June said, looking at the grilled cheese. “Nova, you ate all that, and you’re still hungry?”  
“Um, yes,” Nova said, a little apologetically. “It has to do with my … condition.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well,” Nova said, focused on the pan in front of her. “I need more energy than other humans, because I’m basically powered by Energon. When I go without it for too long, say, a couple of weeks, I begin to lose strength and my systems start to wear down. But these past few days have been…” she paused. “…tiring, so I’ve been burning off more Energon than normal. I guess I’m just so depleted that I was forced to get my energy from food again.”

She flipped the sandwich in the pan. “Reminds me of being a kid.”

“You _are_ a kid,” June sighed. “But I guess a sandwich is fine, if you’re really still hungry.”

“Thanks,” the half spark said, and continued to brown the sandwich on both sides.

June removed some of the tofu from the fridge and glanced sideways at her niece, who still had not turned to look at her since she had come into the house.

"How was school today?” June asked, trying to be cheerful.

The girl at the stove froze for an instant, then shrugged casually. “… Fine! It was fine — great, in fact. I, uh, got to meet a lot of people.”

“Did you make any friends?” June asked, moving over to the barstools in front of the oven.

The girl shrugged again. “No, but I didn’t really expect to gain a fan-following on the first day.”

“Well, I am glad you got to be with other people your age,” June said, taking a bite of her tofu. “But how are _you_ holding up?”

Nova was quiet for a while.

“I miss the base,” she said finally.

June sighed. “Nova…”

“I know, I know,” the half-spark said, placing her hands on the counter in front of her. “I can’t go back today. But … I will get to go back to them after a little while, right? Once this whole business with the funeral is over? I mean, no one said anything about staying here forever.”

June shook her head. “You’ll stay with me and Jack until I think it’s safe for you to go back. Who knows what could happen if you don’t. I just don’t want you to get hurt, or to hurt anyone else, okay?”

Nova was silent, but her aunt saw her knuckles tighten against the edge of the countertop.

June looked at her with concerned eyes. “Nova, honey? Could you look at me, please? I haven’t really seen you since I walked in the door.”

Obliging, Nova slowly turned around to meet the nurse’s eyes.

June gasped. Blood and blue liquid positively covered Nova’s face, as if she had been involved in a fight with a living knife rack and never cleaned up afterwards. Dried blood flaked off of the three large gashes in her cheeks, and the marks smeared in some places, as if she had tried to wipe the blood away by herself, but new trickles of the substance oozed from the cuts, running persistently down her jawbone and out of her nose.

Nova smiled a little at her aunt’s shock.

“Is there something on my face?” she asked.

“Oh, my goodness!” June cried, dodging the counter and taking her niece’s head in her hands gingerly as she grabbed a paper towel. “Oh, honey… What happened?”

“I kind of got into a fight,” Nova admitted sheepishly. “I didn’t start it.”

“Who did?” June demanded. “We’ll call the police right now. These cuts are awful. Why didn’t you tell me about this, or Jack? He should know better than to leave you after all that!”

“It wasn’t his fault, Aunt June,” Nova said gently. “He didn’t see me get hurt. I told the others to leave before the fight started. It only would have made things worse to have them there. And the kid who did this to me … he didn’t know what he was doing. We don’t need to call the police.”

“Yes we do. Who was it?”

“You won’t hear it from me,” Nova said stubbornly, staring up into her aunt’s eyes.

June sighed.

“Fine,” she said. “Just come into the bathroom and let me clean you off. You look horrible.”

“Can I finish making my sandwich first?”

“The sandwich can wait, young woman.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“Optimus, could you come and verify this status report we have on the Energon supplies?” Ratchet asked as he typed away at the monitor screen.

There came no response.

“Optimus?” Ratchet turned around. The kids were occupied playing video games, Arcee had gone into an early recharge, and Bumblebee and Bulkhead had taken up a position behind the children, cheering on their respective charges as they played the familiar racing game.

Ratchet walked over to the “human corner”.

“Have any of you seen Optimus?” he asked.

“He left a while back,” Miko replied, her eyes on the game. “We thought he was with you.”

“Obviously, he _isn’t_ with me,” Ratchet replied flatly, his ire building up.

“Don’t be so touchy, Doc,” Miko replied, her thumbs working overtime in an effort to beat Raf.

“My name is _not_ ‘Doc’!” Ratchet almost shouted. “Look, does anyone have any information on the whereabouts of our leader? It may come as a surprise to you, but determining Optimus Prime’s location is _slightly_ more important than a video game!”

“Hey, Ratch, you okay?” Bulkhead asked. “You seem a little … uh…”

“What?” Ratchet snapped. “A little what?”

“Uh, I dunno,” Bulkhead replied, trying to pull himself out of the dire situation he found himself in. “It’s nothin’, you just seem kinda… upset?”

“I’m fine,” Ratchet said, gripping the railing. The metal creaked dreadfully under the weight of his palms, making the Autobots’ eyes widen in fear. “But none of _you_ will be if you cannot provide me with a good reason for Optimus Prime’s sudden disappearance. He’s turned off his tracker, and he hasn’t left any messages whatsoever.”

“Yeesh. Mom-alert,” Miko mumbled.

“What was that?!” Ratchet demanded.

Acting quickly, Bumblebee spoke up with a few buzzes and beeps.

“‘He went for a drive’?” Ratchet asked. “Why would he just go for a drive without _telling_ anyone?!”

Bumblebee shrugged.

Ratchet sighed. Sometimes, the scout was as hopeless as the children.

“Maybe he wanted to be alone for a while,” Jack said quietly, from where he was poring over his chemistry homework.

“Why in the name of Cybertron would he want to do that?” Ratchet demanded.

At this, Miko and Raf both paused the game, and the four pairs of eyes looked up at him.

The medic was clueless. “What.”

Bumblebee and Raf glanced at each other.

“If I had just lost my best friend, right when she needed me most, but everywhere I went I had to see everyone else hanging out with _their_ best friends, I’d probably want to go find her,” Raf said after a minute.

Silence descended on the base. Ratchet stared into the space before him in a long, vacant stare, then turned back to the monitor.

"I see,” he said in a quiet voice. And he did.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“Ouch!” Nova hissed, reaching up reflexively to swat at June’s hand.

“Hold still, honey, this is the last one,” her aunt commanded, dabbing at the largest gash with the peroxide-drenched cotton ball. “Why are you complaining anyway? I thought you were indestructible, or something.”

“My body might be able to heal itself, but I still feel pain, just like everyone else,” Nova said, gritting her teeth. “I’m not made of metal, you know.”

“Yes,” her aunt said. “I know.”

Nova fell silent, glowering at herself in the bathroom mirror every time June swiped at the gash with the bubbling liquid. Finally, the bandage was administered by June’s deft fingers, and the peroxide was put away. Nova let out the breath she had been holding.

“There,” June sighed finally, stepping back to review her handiwork. “Not bad for a nurse in the intensive care unit, huh?” she said wryly.

“Definitely the best bandage job I’ve ever gotten,” Nova said, looking at herself in the mirror and fingering her white ornaments gingerly. “Thanks, Aunt June.”

“Anytime,” she responded, patting her niece’s shoulder. “Let’s go into the kitchen and we can talk about the funeral, okay?”

“I’ve already thought about that,” Nova said, following her aunt out into the living room. “I don’t want it to be anything elaborate. I don’t know any people who would need to come, and the ‘Bots are all too busy to come to a funeral, anyway. So I think we should just have a short little ceremony outdoors, an hour at most, with whoever wants to come, and then I can take the body to bury by myself. No casket. No headstone. No flowers. Okay?”

June looked at her in surprise. “Nova, is that what you really want?”

“Coby wouldn’t have wanted me to make it a big deal,” she said. “He hated funerals, and he sure wouldn’t want people to get dragged to one on his account.”

“Well … all right, if that’s the way you really want to do it,” June said. “You’re sure you don’t want a reception or anything special at all?”

“No,” Nova said. “The only thing I need is Coby, and you all can have the rest.”

June nodded. “Then that’s what we’ll do.”

The half-spark looked at her aunt in surprise. “I didn’t expect you to agree to it.”

“Well, I’ve been thinking that you need something to go your way for once, and I’ve been a little too hard on you with this whole thing,” June said apologetically. “I’m sorry about that. I think your idea for a simple funeral is a lovely idea.”

“Thanks.” Nova murmured. Her attention seemed to be elsewhere, as if she were staring intently at something June could not see.

“Honey?” June asked. “Are you all right?”

Nova snapped back to reality. “Yes. I’m just a little, uh … I’m okay.”

June smiled a little at her. “Okay. Do you think you’ll be all right if I go to bed?”

The half-spark nodded. “Absolutely. You had a hard day of … nursing. Yeah, nursing. I think that’s reason enough to sleep for a long time.”

Her aunt laughed. “So do I.” She planted a kiss on Nova’s least injured cheek, and ruffled her hair. “I love you.”

Nova realized it was true.

“I love you, too,” she said. And meant it.

“Goodnight.”

Nova watched her aunt leave and shut the door to her own room quietly. Now, the half-spark felt all alone in the house. Sighing, Nova went back to her sandwich. She could barely keep her eyes open, but she was not tired in the least.

Once the sandwich had been eaten and the plate had been cleared, Nova removed her armor and stared at her hands, still tainted by a few marks of blood she’d had trouble wiping away. Her regeneration still wasn’t working well. Even now, she was sure her cuts were bleeding through her bandages, no matter how much she ate. It wasn’t enough to replace the Energon she could get at home.

Home. That word didn’t apply here.

Nova sighed, not for the first time. Maybe a walk around the block would help. June might not have allowed her to go to the base, but that didn’t mean she had to be on house arrest.

Quietly, she pulled up the hood on her sweater and moved toward the front door, drawing it open on its quiet hinges and closing it behind her slowly.

The porch light buzzed above her head as she ventured onto the sidewalk. She had heard that the streets of Vegas were loud and noisy at night, but here in Jasper it was as quiet as a sleeping cat.

Chilled by the cooler evening winds, Nova looked up and down the street, wondering which way she should go. Eventually, she chose left, and strolled down the grey sidewalk that brightened periodically underneath the streetlights.

Walking along with her hands in her pockets, Nova breathed the fresh air as if it were the first time in years she had been free to do so. The truth was, this was the first time in many years that she had actually gone off by herself, without having to run from anything or be accompanied by anyone.

The half-spark continued to walk down the street in silence. For the first time in a long while, she was not running, not hiding from anything or anyone, just walking and thinking.

She thought about Coby, mostly. The half-spark remembered so many moments from their childhood that she was sure she’d forgotten long ago, but had been brought to the surface by his death, like freshly overturned soil in a field ready for planting.

Even as kids, Coby used to get her into all sorts of trouble — but he was always the brave one. When she was very little, Nova had always thought he was going to be a superhero someday when he was a grown-up, but what was a superhero without a good sidekick?

She just hadn’t thought about the possibility of her hero brother turning into the super _villain_ , and his sidekick becoming the one who had to stop him.

Nova sighed. Optimus probably hadn’t thought about that when he and Megatron had been friends, either.

_It just isn’t right_ , she thought. Why should the best of friends be torn apart for something so silly as hatred? It happened all the time. The Autobots had each lost someone to the war, and nearly every human lost someone in the course of their life, whether they brought it about or whether it was completely out of their control.

“Why would this happen?” Nova asked the silent street. “This isn’t fair.”

To her surprise, she thought she heard a response.

_It’s not fair, but it’s fine._

This was … true, she realized.

_There is always going to be death,_ her brain said. _It hurts, but it’s not the end._

“It’s not the end,” she said to herself, a little smile on her face. “It’s not the end for any of us.”

This thought didn’t diminish the pain of Coby being gone, but it made it a little more bearable, at least. And then Nova began to think about what June had said to her.

“ _I just don’t want you to get hurt, or to hurt anyone else…”_

The statement had felt like a slap to the face before, and it made her angry now. How could her aunt say something like that? She didn’t _want_ to hurt anyone. She hadn’t _wanted_ to hurt Coby.

But what if who she was … who she had become … was a monster? What if it _was_ all her fault?

She knew how the other kids looked at her sometimes. There wasn’t anger in their eyes when they looked at her, but there was something negative in their gazes. Apprehension? Judgement?

Fear?

Yes. They feared her. And at the same time, though none of them would admit it, they were afraid of what she could do. It did not matter how much they trusted her, she would still be different from them. She could never again be fully human, and she could never be fully Cybertronian, either.

None of the Autobots were as small or as inexperienced in battle as she was, but they still tried to count her among themselves as a team member. But she did not belong. Nova knew she had never belonged anywhere from the very beginning.

“So is June right? Am I a monster?” Nova muttered, looking down at her hands under the glow of the streetlamp. “Am I something that needs to be hidden away and forgotten?”

She had no desire to leave the base for good. But June was probably right; the half-spark knew she was probably a danger to humans anyway.

And, she thought with a bitter tinge of doubt, none of the Autobots had come to check on her since she had left. No one had even contacted her.

“Maybe that’s because they knew June wouldn’t like it,” she told herself. “Or maybe they were busy on missions.”

All the same, she found herself wondering, _Do they even care?_

The thought stopped her in her tracks. The sidewalk felt rough under her shoes.

_Do they even care about me?_

She shook her head. Of _course_ they cared about her. Right? Ratchet had fixed her multiple times, the others all talked and joked with her, and Optimus counted her as a friend, didn’t he?

Didn’t he?

Doubt crept into her mind on silent feet. The half-spark shoved her hands into her pockets and turned to go back to the house.

_Maybe it’s best that I leave. I don’t belong anywhere anyway. Especially not with them._

_Maybe June’s right._

Her steps thumped forlornly in the empty street. The sidewalk stretched out before her, and she stopped for a minute to look at it. The little grey path ran steadily on through the neighborhood, never seeming to end, and when she looked behind her, it was the same.

_The path is laid before you,_ it seemed to say. _But only you can decide where to go._

“So should I run away again?” Nova murmured. “Even after all that’s happened, I still have people who are willing to be a part of my family. I have a guardian who protects me. I’ve seen things that other people can only dream of. Am I willing to leave that all behind, just because I’m afraid?”

The sidewalk was silent, but her mind was not.

_What if you are the monster Silas made you to be?_

_What if June is right?_

Nova growled and turned away, heading back to the house.

Then, she stopped and gasped suddenly as the flash of bright headlights flooded the street around her, throwing her shadow out sharply for a moment before switching off.

She knew those headlights.

Nova spun around. “Optimus?”

The lights of the semi truck parked at the side of the road blinked at her again, and silently turned off. To anyone else standing outside in the middle of the night, it would have seemed like a perfectly normal truck, albeit one that probably didn’t belong in a small Jasper neighborhood. But Nova knew the truth.

Joy surged through her as she ran at him with all the speed she had and threw her arms around his grill as far as they could reach.

“Optimus! I’m so glad to see you!” Nova cried. The truck rumbled softly.

“Hello, Nova.”

She pulled away and put her hands on her hips. “I was beginning to think you’d forgotten about me!”

“You were beginning to doubt me?” Optimus asked.

“Not anymore,” she replied. “Never again!”

She burst into tears, and then she leaned against the truck and began to laugh. That was the very first time Optimus had heard her do that. She had a very hearty, ringing laugh, not a sound he heard often in war. He enjoyed it.

After the half-spark had laughed for a while, relieved chuckles bubbling up from inside her, she sank down to the ground and leaned her head against the Autobot’s doors wearily, breathing a heavy sigh.

“Why did you turn around?” Optimus asked. “I was waiting for you to walk further.”

“I was just so frustrated,” she murmured. “So tired.”

“Do you wish to go back to your lodging?”

Nova shook her head. “I’m not _that_ kind of tired. It’s the kind where you’re just sick of everything and you’re exhausted, and you feel it deep in your bones, but you can’t sleep, no matter how hard you try. It’s like something is keeping you awake on purpose, like you know you have to do something.”

Optimus knew exactly what she was talking about.

“Are you berating yourself?” he inquired, his voice carrying a tone of reprimand. 

“Shouldn’t I be?” Nova asked. “I mean, this whole thing was all my fault.” She shrugged as a tear rolled down her cheek. “I’m beginning to realize who I am, and I don’t like it.”

“What do you mean?”

She let out a heavy sigh, almost a sob. “Optimus, my greatest fear is that I’ll turn into the thing Silas wanted me to be — I’m afraid I’ll turn into a monster. Am I really … am I really worth looking after?”

The truck’s engine rumbled a little, angrily this time.

“Do not ever doubt your worth,” Optimus said quietly. Nova could hear the authority in his voice. “You are worth more than I can ever express, and you are not a monster. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir,” she replied, after a pause.

Optimus and the girl were both silent for a while.

“Do you want to… stay with me?” Optimus asked at length, more gently. “We could go for a drive.”

“That sounds nice,” she replied. “But June would wake up for sure. Even now, I can’t help but feel like I’m doing something illegal.”

“How are you doing?” Optimus asked. This kind of grief occurred far too frequently in war. Optimus had had to comfort others upon the death of a loved one many times before. Looking back internally on the many times he had had to witness this grief, and go through it himself, Optimus decided he disliked having the practice.

Nova’s sigh whispered into the night air. “Well, I don’t really know. It’s like … I feel like I’m a load that needs to be passed around, and I don’t want to dump all my emotional baggage onto the first person who wants to know how I’m doing.”

“Why do you think I ask?”

Nova shrugged. “To be courteous?”

“To care for you.”

The half-spark sighed. “Everyone’s tired of caring for me.”

“That is not true,” Optimus replied.

She shook her head. “I’m a bother.”

“No one considers you a bother.”  
“Then why did you stick me with June?” Her voice broke. “Why did you give me away?”

Now Optimus began to understand.

He waited until she had calmed a little before responding.

“We did not give you away. You were taken,” he said. “And do you think I would have given you up that easily?”

Nova thought for a minute. “N-no. But Coby always said I was a reject. That I always make things worse.”

“Your brother did not tell you the truth.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I _do_ ,” Optimus replied firmly. “Do you think Megatron was always encouraging? He has told me on many separate occasions that I was solely responsible for the downfall of Cybertron itself.” His voice filled with regret. “There were times when I believed him. It destroyed my confidence as a leader. But I was fortunate to have a friend like Ratchet, and … others, who were willing to tell me the truth, and inspire me to carry on. Do not let your past or those in it determine your fate.”

Nova dropped her eyes to the ground. “You all really want me to come back?”

“Of course. And Ratchet has been more… ill-tempered since you left,” Optimus replied. “For the safety of the others, I suggest you return as soon as possible.”

“But do _you_ want me to come back?”

Optimus did not hesitate. “Of course.”

Nova smiled. “That makes me feel a lot better, because Optimus Prime can’t tell a lie to save his life.”

“Neither can a certain half-spark.”

There was a silence. Nova leaned against the truck contentedly as the night fell into further gloom around them.

“Optimus?”

“Hm.”

“I’ve figured out what was keeping me awake. Do you think you could do me a favor?”

“What do you need?”

“I need a Groundbridge,” Nova replied, lifting herself off of the truck’s surface. “And a shovel. I think June has one in the garage.”

“I thought you—”

“I’m not allowed to go to the base, no,” Nova said, walking down the sidewalk towards her aunt’s house. “But June didn’t say anything about not using a Groundbridge. As long as she doesn’t wake up, it should be fine.”

“You may be pushing whatever boundaries she has set for you,” the Prime said after her.

“Miko does this kind of thing all the time. Don’t worry, I’ll be quick,” Nova said, tapping the side of her helmet in a silent transmission. “Just give these coordinates to Ratchet and tell him to bridge me straight there.”

Optimus hesitated. “Is this a task that I can do for you instead?”

The half-spark halted.

“No,” she said. “It’s something I need to do myself.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Knock Out. Being on the bad guy's team is tough!
> 
> I mean, apart from Megatron and Soundwave, does anyone really care about one another in the Decepticon fold? I know the entire fandom disagrees with me on this, but I think the answer is "no." 
> 
> That's why I'm a bit skeptical of people (like my sister) who think being a Decepticon would be awesome. I think it would actually be kinda horrible, unless you had a good friend with you. 
> 
> And by good, I mean Soundwave good. That there is a good friend and ally, if you're Megatron, anyway!
> 
> SO TELL ME IN THE COMMENTS: Who's your favorite Bot and/or Con? I know every TF fan has their favorites! 
> 
> Mine are Optimus and Soundwave, hands down. But I have a really, really long list of everyone else I like as well, because how can I be expected to pick just one?!


	7. Burden part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Coby gets put to rest, and Ratchet is a grump.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this one is a bit short compared to my usual length, but it's pretty simple. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> NOW.  
> An EPIGRAPH.
> 
> "Here's to your bright eyes  
> Shining like fireflies  
> These are my souvenirs  
> The memory of a lifetime.  
> ...  
> I close my eyes, and go back in time  
> I can see you smiling, you're so alive  
> We were so young, we had no fear  
> We were so young, we had no idea  
> That life was just happening."
> 
> \--Switchfoot, "Souvenirs"
> 
> (I find Switchfoot is always good to listen to. No matter how you're feeling, they always have something that fits.)

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

The next day was Saturday. As usual, in the town of Jasper, the sun rose bright and hot, and the red sand baked in the midday light. Nova and June were both en route to the place Agent Fowler had chosen for the funeral ceremony, a place he said would be sufficiently out of the way for a Cybertronian meeting, and sheltered enough that they could conduct it without being seen from the air.

“Where did he say it was?” Nova asked, fidgeting in her dress. She had been forced to wear one of June’s, and she hated it. The dress was by no means ugly or uncomfortable, but the half-spark hated wearing dresses in general. It felt so foreign.

“William told me to head for the cliffs outside Jasper’s city limits,” June said, her hands firmly at ten-and-two on the steering wheel. “We’re almost there.”

“Okay,” Nova said, looking out the window and trying to stay awake as she watched the dust roll around them.

_William?_

“So, you wanna tell me where you snuck off to last night?” June asked from the front seat.

Shocked, Nova froze. “…Whaaat do you mean?”

“Don’t play the innocent card with me,” said her aunt. “By the time Jack came home last night, which was way past his curfew, by the way you were gone and so was our shovel. And did you think I wouldn’t notice all the dirt under your fingernails this morning?”

The half-spark only sat in the back seat, wide eyed. “You don’t miss a thing.”

She wished her armor could hide her face, but June had said it wouldn’t be appropriate to wear to a funeral, so she was stuck in this car in a dress with a very perceptive nurse and her own overly expressive face — which June could read like a book.

“Just because I’m not an Autobot doesn’t mean I’m blind,” June reminded her. “And you’re by far the most exhausted person I’ve seen in a long time.”

It was true. Nova had dark circles under her eyes and a slump in her stance that was easy to see.

“I had to go take care of something,” she said softly. “It wasn’t illegal or anything, I just got up late to do it.”

“Well, don’t do that anymore,” June said sternly. “I won’t have any niece of mine sneaking off.”

“About that,” Nova said, sitting up in her seat a little. “Um, I would actually like to go back to the Autobots … by tonight, if that’s okay.”

June looked at her in the rearview mirror above her head. “What? Nova, we talked about this.”

“I know,” Nova replied. “But with all the things going on right now, and me getting into fights at school, and running low on Energon and stuff … I really think the Autobots could help me more than people right now.”

June sighed and took a gentle curve in the road, driving them past the base. Nova watched it go wistfully.

“I just don’t want you to spend all your time there,” her aunt said. “Even Jack has to come home every day.”

“I won’t,” Nova promised. “If you let me go back, I’ll come visit you and Jack. I’ll walk if I have to. But I won’t go back to school, and I won’t live with you, Aunt June. I can’t.”

The nurse thought for a long while as she drove. Nova held a breath unconsciously as she contemplated what her answer would be.

Finally, she spoke.

“All right,” said June. “You can go back."

Nova nearly jumped for joy right there in the car. “Oh, thank you so much, Aunt June! You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“Well, I figure that since I finally have a niece, I might as well try to get along with her … and her friends,” June said, sighing a little. “After all, I’ve been trying to control Jack in the same way for quite a few years now, and I can tell he’s tired of it. But it just isn’t easy, not knowing if you’re safe or whether you’re even coming back home.”

She glanced in the rearview mirror again. “And don’t think that lets you off the hook, young lady. I’m still going to come to the base myself and make sure you’re being taken care of. It’s a dangerous thing you’re doing.”

“I understand,” replied Nova instantly. “But I think I’m safest at the base. It — it really _is_ my home now. No offense to your house, of course.”

“None taken,” June said. “After all, a house is only a thing. You might live there, but it’s not a home unless your heart lives there, too.”

Nova blinked a little. “So you do understand.”

“Of course I do. You think I’ve been nursing bedridden, stir-crazy patients in the hospital for four years and haven’t learned anything about being homesick?”

The whirling sand and yellow dirt raced by around them. “Thanks, Aunt June.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“Agent Fowler,” Nova said politely, stepping out of the car and shaking hands with the taller man. “Thank you for setting this up. I appreciate everything.”

“Don’t mention it, kid,” he replied. “Consider it a thank you from my superiors for leading us to so many MECH busts over the past few weeks. Couldn’t have done it without you. And I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you.”

June put the car in park underneath the shadow of the rock formation Fowler had chosen, and got out of the car herself, coming straight for the US agent and clasping his hand.

“Good afternoon, Miz Darby,” Fowler said politely, but the half-spark could see there was something beyond politeness behind his cordial greeting.

Nova decided that the idea was far above the amount of saccharine nonsense her stomach could take, and she turned away from the pair after excusing herself.

Up ahead, at the place where the rock face met the ground, the white-wrapped body of Coby lay quietly on top of a table shrouded in black, lifeless and still, just as he had been before. Nothing had changed.

“Hey,” she said quietly. I’m back.”

Coby gave no response. Nova knew he never would again.

“Um, I guess I just wanted to say goodbye, while we have the chance to be alone,” she continued, looking over her shoulder at June and Fowler. “I mean, it’s not like anyone else is going to come to this. The rest of the team probably doesn’t know, or doesn’t care.”

She turned dejectedly back to the body before her, and she wished with all her heart that she could see the life once again in his eyes.

“I should have told you what you meant to me when you were still alive. Maybe then all this could have been avoided.” The half-spark sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t know if we can really avoid everything, or anything at all, but I did love you, Coby. I only hope you can hear me. Or … maybe God could pass along the message?”

Silence. The dust tumbled around her shoes.

As she stood there, telling herself not to cry, she heard the rumble of tires on the dirt, and a _whrr-tchz-tchz-tchz-chk_ behind her.

She whirled around in astonishment.

“Ratchet?”

“I thought I’d come and check on my most unusual patient,” he said, nodding to June and Fowler as he walked over to Nova. He knelt down next to her in the dust. “I heard you got in a fight.”

“How did you know that?” Nova asked.

“Miko isn’t exactly good at keeping a secret, for one thing. And the others showed me an online video the humans made about you getting scrapped by that redheaded boy.”

“There was a video?”

“More than one, I heard. Luckily, Rafael managed to erase all traces of the footage from the Internet. It wouldn’t do to have you captured by the Decepticons after all this.” He cleared his throat. “It seems you were the talk of the town, as far as Jasper’s youth were concerned.”

“Not sure I wanted to be,” Nova said. She looked sideways at the medic. “Did … Optimus see the video?”

“He did,” replied the medic evenly. “He left the base right afterward.”

Nova frowned worriedly. “Where did he go?”

Ratchet looked at her. “From what I can gather, he went to see you.”

“So … he didn’t track Vince down and destroy him, or anything?”

“Of course not,” Ratchet replied. “You know Optimus better than that.”

“I know, I just—” she shrugged. “He’s been angry before.”

“He was angry yesterday. That boy shouldn’t have done that to you.”

“I know,” Nova said. “I didn’t really think about what would happen if someone filmed it.”

Ratchet decided to change the subject slightly. “Did you know Optimus had an opportunity to kill Megatron last afternoon?”

Nova turned her gaze up to the medic. “He did?”

“He did, but he passed it up. He let Megatron go.”

“What?” Nova asked. “Why would he do that?”

“It’s part of who he is. Optimus let Megatron go because he does not ever allow the concept of redemptive violence to influence his decisions, even remotely.”

“Redemptive violence?”

“Yes.” Ratchet nodded. “Megatron had not personally harmed any Autobots in that cave. The only reason to destroy him at that point would be to pay him back for everything he did to Cybertron. Redemptive violence — killing someone to right a wrong.”

The medic bowed his head slightly. “But violence is not redemptive, no matter who you kill. Many times, I regret to say that I have wanted to kill Megatron myself for that very reason; to pay him back for everything he did. But Optimus believes that the destruction of another life — another soul — should never, ever be done because of something as pointless as revenge. There is no redemption in killing, Nova. Revenge only doubles the wrongdoing rather than canceling it out. Redemptive violence does not ever make things right.”

“I _know_ that,” Nova said, in a biting tone. “Is this your way of lecturing me about Coby’s death? Are you going to blame me, too?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I was telling you about what happened yesterday,” Ratchet replied. “I think you would want to know about your guardian’s struggles, as well. Optimus is constantly having to deal with the knowledge that he must fight Megatron, one of his oldest friends, and if he spares him, for any reason, Optimus feels that he has failed — that he is making us fight for nothing. You are not the only one who takes on unnecessary guilt, you know.”

“Oh,” Nova said simply, and held her tongue.

Ratchet held up an irritated finger as he changed his tone. “Now, he may not believe in redemptive _violence_ , but Optimus _does_ believe in the value of redemptive _sacrifice_ … a little too much, in my opinion. I’m quite surprised he’s as functional as he is, seeing as how I’ve had to repair him several times after he had thrown himself in front of the gun for someone else, with near-fatal results.”

The wind blew lightly across the valley. Neither of them spoke. Ratchet shifted his weight to sit down on the ground next to the half-spark as they looked in silence at the body of Coby for a few minutes. The chattering of June and Fowler went on at a steady pace behind them.

Eventually, Ratchet looked at her again. “You look nice,” he said quietly.

“Hm?” Nova looked at herself. “Oh, the dress. Thanks.”

“How are you feeling?”

Nova sighed. “I don’t really know how to answer that question, Ratchet.”

“None do.”

“Then why are you asking?”

Now, it was Ratchet who turned away. “Because I … care.”

Nova smiled a little. “Funny. Optimus said something like that to me last night.”

“Hm.” Gazing at the ground, the medic refused to meet her eyes. “I … know that Optimus cares about you very much. That’s why he went to see you; after he found out you had been hurt. He was angry that he could not be there for you when you needed him. It had been chafing at him all day, and I could tell he had just finally had enough.”

Nova looked up at him. “Were you mad that he left?”

“A little. I don’t think it is wise for him to shirk his Primely duties and just go out for a drive, but I never stop him. Even Optimus needs to spend time with his human once in a while.”

Nova smirked at him playfully. “Is that all I am to you, Ratchet? Just another human?”

He paused. “No.”

She turned her gaze to Coby. “Thanks, Ratchet.”

“Hmph.”

After a few minutes, Nova raised her head and looked around. “Is anyone else coming?”

“No. The children are all at base, and their guardians are out on a scouting mission. We’ll need to send Optimus out for more Energon if we keep using up our supply at this rate.”

He turned to peer at her suspiciously. “Speaking of energy usage, what did you need a Groundbridge for last night?”

“Oh,” she shifted uncomfortably. “Nothing. I just wanted to go for a walk, is all.”

“Mm-hm.”

“No, really, I just wanted to go for a walk in the middle of nowhere by myself with a shovel. Nothing of importance.” Nova gave him what she hoped was a nonchalant look.

Ratchet sighed wearily.

“Can’t lie to save her life,” he muttered. “Look, whatever it was — if Optimus approves, I’m fine with it. Just no more solo jaunts, understand? We don’t have the reserves for that.”

She breathed an internal sigh. “Yes, Ratchet.”

Suddenly, they heard the roaring sound of a truck engine and tires rolling up the dirt path. Nova spun around, hardly daring to hope—

“Optimus?”

Sure enough, the approaching red Peterbilt slowed to a stop and transformed into her guardian. He held Jack, Miko, and Raf in his hands. After looking at Nova for a while, he knelt to put down the children and to speak with June and Fowler before coming over to Nova and Ratchet, with the five humans at his heels. The children ran forward to crush Nova with a big group hug.

“You came,” Nova said breathlessly. “You all came.”

“Yeah, we did,” Jack said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “We decided, this time, we were gonna be there for you when you needed us.”

The smiles in Raf and Miko’s eyes showed that they thought the same.

“Thank you,” Nova said, looking up at Optimus. “Thank you so much for coming.”

He nodded to her.

“I came to pay my respects,” he said to Nova. “Cobalt Makutan was a warrior worthy of a far longer life.”

Nova recognized this as a formality, of some sort, and replied with one of her own.

“I accept, on his behalf,” she said. “You have … honored his life and mine with your presence.”

“Do you want to get started?” June asked.

Nova looked around at all of her friends, her true friends, and nodded. “Yes.”

“My boys provided the funerary arrangements,” Fowler said, gesturing towards the table and the tarp laid over the ground. “We could’ve done a lot more, but—”

“But I politely asked you not to,” Nova said. “I’m grateful, Agent Fowler.”

He cleared his throat, and gestured. “Well, would you all be seated? I thought I’d get up and say a few words, if it’s all right with you.”

Nova nodded, relieved that she didn’t have to go first. She still had no idea what she was going to say.

Agent Fowler stepped up to the platform and folded his hands behind his back in a military rest stance. Nova noticed that he had worn his old Rangers uniform for the occasion.

“We are assembled today to honor an American citizen, born and raised,” Fowler said solemnly, his face betraying no hint of emotion. “While I did not know him personally, I have it from a reliable source that this boy died fighting for the welfare of his country, and his planet. Therefore, it is the pleasure and privilege of the United States Military to bestow the Enhanced Human Services Award to one Cobalt Tharros Makutan, as the first ever recipient of this award.”

In his hands he held a little medal which glimmered even in the shade of the cliffs, and pinned it to the wrappings of the fallen warrior solemnly.

“I would like to call Nova Makutan up to the stand to say a few words, if she’s willing,” he said, looking at Nova.

Getting up from the tarp and turning toward the table, Nova ascended the platform and stood beside the body, resting her hand on it lightly.

“Thank you for coming, everyone,” she said. “And thank you for the medal, Agent Fowler. To be honest, I didn’t expect this much support.” She looked down at the white wrappings underneath her fingers, and stroked them softly.

Then, she turned to face them. They were all sitting, the humans on the tarp, and the two Autobots just behind. The breeze blew her dress about her ankles, but she paid it no mind. It felt nice that there was something alive in the desert with her, even if it was just the wind.

She took a deep breath.

“Abraham Lincoln once said: ‘The loss of enemies does not compensate for the loss of friends,’” she said, looking out at the humans. “I think Agent Fowler would be glad to confirm that. What President Lincoln said has been something I’ve thought about a lot, especially over the last couple of days.”

She swallowed. “Coby has always been my very best friend, and no matter what he did, I never thought of him otherwise. So, when I lost him, I had to ask myself: Have I lost an enemy, or a friend?” She bowed her head. “I lost both at once, I think, and it hasn’t made anything right.”

There was silence before her as she raised her head again, and her tone changed.

“I know now that Coby was the last of my close relatives, and there is no one else waiting for me on this Earth. But,” she said, looking each of them in the eyes, “In the process of losing my old family, I have gained a new one, a family of people who constantly reaffirm me, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they _are_ my friends, and I know that they are here for me, even when times are hard. This is something I never want to lose.”

She paused again. “Aunt June has recently given me permission to return to the Outpost—”

“Yes!” Miko cheered.

Nova nodded. “And I’ll be happy to come back to the Autobots, but I ask that I only return to humans when and if I choose, from now on. As an autonomous organism, I would like to make my own decisions concerning where I go or what I do. The only override would be Optimus’ say.” She looked pointedly at her aunt. “Okay?”

June looked surprised down there for a minute, before nodding her head. “Okay.”

“Good,” Nova said. “Then our time here is over. I know this is a short ceremony, but I didn’t want to keep anyone here longer than necessary. It’s Saturday. Go live like it.”

With that, she stepped quickly off the pedestal, and the others all got to their feet. Miko, Jack, and Raf clustered around Nova, alternatively giving her hugs and asking questions.

“What are you going to do with Coby afterward?” Miko asked. “I thought you were gonna bury him right here.”

“No,” Nova said. “I have a different idea for that, but I have to do it alone.”

“Well,” Jack said, “If you ever need us, you know we’re already there for you. Now that you’re back at base, we can try to get things back to normal.”

“Thanks, Jack,” Nova said. “I’d like that.”

And she meant it.

“All right, kids, if you’re done, get in the car,” June said, beckoning. “William said we have to leave the area as soon as possible. I can give you all rides.”

The others headed toward the car, but Nova held back a little, clutching the bag of extra clothes June had packed for her.

“I want to ride with Optimus, if that’s okay,” she said to June. Her aunt gave her a sympathetic smile.

“Sure, sweetheart,” she said, hugging her niece and kissing her on the cheek.

“Thanks for having me over,” Nova murmured, returning the hug. “I know you did your best.”

“You expect me to stop?” June asked wryly, pulling back and raising an eyebrow. “Just … stay safe in that big truck of yours.”

“I will,” Nova nodded, and watched her aunt and the three teens get into the little nondescript car and drive away. Even if she was tripping over her own dress every five minutes, the half-spark knew she was safer now than she had ever been.

“I can take the … uh, Coby’s body in the chopper, if you want,” Agent Fowler offered, his hands still behind his back.

“No need,” Ratchet replied. “I have an ambulance mode for a reason.”

He transformed, and Agent Fowler helped load Coby onto the EMS stretcher while Nova waited for Optimus.

He looked down at her. “Are you ready to go home?”

“Yes,” Nova said firmly. “I am.”

Optimus transformed and opened the passenger door for her, waiting until she had buckled her seatbelt before he began to drive.

Steadily, he rolled onto the road and began the short drive back to the Outpost. Nova began to zone out again. The sand of Jasper rolled by around them and billowed up behind the truck in dusty clouds.

“Optimus?” Nova said at length, looking out the window.

“Hm.”

“Now that I … well, now that Coby’s … dead, MECH knows a half-spark can be killed,” she said softly, looking out at the road. “With those plans to make their own giant robot, they’ll be able to do it themselves. They’ll be coming for me.”

“You know I will protect you,” Optimus replied, tightening the seat belt reassuringly. It was the closest thing to a hug that a giant robot and a human could ever get, and Nova knew it. “As long as it is within my power, I will not allow them to take you again.”

“Are you sure?”

“Nova,” he said, his voice making the steering wheel insignia blink. “I give you my word.”

For the first time that day, Nova felt a little of her sorrow melt away, being replaced by the warmest of feelings.

“It’s so good to be home again,” she said, leaning into his seatbelt.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“Welcome back,” Ratchet said absently, as the others walked through the Groundbridge. Bulkhead carried the most Energon cubes, about five, while Arcee and Bumblebee carried two each.

They set them down in the corner and approached the medic, who was staring stoically at the computer screen.

“Uh, hey, Ratch,” Bulkhead said. Ratchet grunted in response.

Bumblebee beeped a question, looking around the base and seeing no one.

“The children went with June to take care of some business in town,” Ratchet answered. “Apparently, the Darbys are out of groceries.”

“And Optimus?” Arcee asked.

“He’s gone. Nova asked him to help bury her brother.”

Ratchet’s straightforward mention of the dead human made the other three Autobots blink in surprise.

“Well, where’d they go?” Bulkhead asked.

“I’m not going to tell you,” Ratchet said. “Nova wanted it to be kept a secret. I bridged them over a short while ago.”

“O-kay,” Arcee said. She and Bulkhead shared a look.

“Um, Ratch, are you alright?” Bulkhead asked.

The medic’s shoulders sagged.“Why is everyone concerned about whether _I’m_ the one who’s alright?”

“W-we were just—”

“We were just ignoring the problem!” Ratchet snapped, turning from the computer. “June didn’t know how to take care of a cyber-organic being, much less one that drains her own Energon with every fallen tear! Nova came back to base with scars on her face, she’s constantly becoming detached from reality, and she doesn’t even have enough energy to heal herself — she’s not had Energon in days. She’s exhausted, she’s grieving, she’s hurting on several levels…” his voice cracked. “And you’re saying _I’m_ the one who’s not alright?”

Bumblebee laid a hand on the medic’s shoulder, beeping a little.

“No, it’s _not_ okay!” Ratchet said. “This time, it’s not okay. I am responsible for Nova’s welfare, Bumblebee! If I can’t even take care of a little girl…"

He sighed, and turned back to his computer. “Just … just leave me alone, so I can get some work done.”

The others looked at each other for a few more seconds, and gave Ratchet some space.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Optimus approached the forlorn figure of the human beyond the Groundbridge, sitting with her armor unbound in the middle of a quiet field. Not a sound was heard except the whispering of the trees, but it was clear to the Prime that someone had once lived here, from the remains of a burned-out shell of a house that stood near.

It was clearly more than a few years old, and it was broken and sad, just like the half-spark kneeling before it. The wooden beams and the twisted metal remains of the house were warped and blackened, and whatever still stood upright slanted crazily in the patches of sunlight, somehow being held up by the earth that had taken back the house so long ago.

But not everything had collapsed into ashes. Growing up on the burned and blackened rafters were long, beautiful green vines, dotted with white flowers here and there, and the grass had already begun to spring up between the cracks in the broken house. Life still flourished here, in the midst of sorrow; again, similar to the half-spark, he thought, as well as many Autobots he had known throughout the ages. It amazed him how Earth constantly reminded him of the things he valued.

Nova, meanwhile, was kneeling before the white shape of her brother on the ground before her. She had requested only that he be wrapped for his burial; no coffin or headstone was asked for, and Optimus had wondered how she was going to do this herself.

Sighing, Nova bent down and gathered Coby in her arms, the head of the body resting on her shoulder. It seemed to Optimus that she hesitated, and tried to pull him tighter against herself in a fond, sorrowful embrace, pressing her cheek against the pale cloths wrapped around his face.

With her brother held close to her, Nova got to her feet and began to walk all the way around to the back of the house, where there was a deep hollow in the ground, facing the east. In the grass next to the grave lay three small crosses, fashioned from branches and bound with twine.

Optimus realized she had dug it last night, when Ratchet had bridged her alone; the mound of unearthed soil standing next to the hollow was clear evidence of this fact. It must have taken her hours to dig a grave this deep by herself.

Nova carefully descended into the hole, her legs shaking a little, and disappeared from view for an instant as she put her brother in the earth.

She reappeared again as she stood and lifted herself out of the grave. Then, she began to push the soil into the hole, the clods of dirt tumbling down and breaking across the white wrappings of the dead man, scattering in dozens of brown pieces as the avalanche of earth laid claim to Coby’s body.

Optimus found sorrow growing in his Spark. One so young should not have to bury the body of a brother.

When the boy had been completely covered, and the mound had disappeared, Nova wiped her brow with her sweater sleeve, and stared at the grave. Satisfied, she gathered up the three markers and placed one at the head of the mound of dirt, then put one cross on either side, marking the graves of her parents.

There was a moment of silence as the half-spark surveyed her work, and Optimus did not disturb her. He realized she was the authority in this place, and she would tell him when to move.

Finally, Nova turned to him.

She said nothing, but Optimus understood all too well the horrible sadness in her eyes.

He reached a hand toward the half-spark. “Nova?”

“This is a special place, Optimus,” she said, setting her jaw. “I haven’t seen it for a long time.”

Then, Optimus realized just how much this meant to her. This was the first time she had been home in years, but she hadn’t chosen the other Autobots to share this with her. She hadn’t chosen the humans, or June, or Jack, her actual relatives. She had chosen _him_ , and him alone. A sense of awe filled the Prime as he contemplated how special this place was to Nova, and now, to himself.

“It is an honor,” he said.

Hesitantly, Nova opened her mouth. Optimus noticed it, and waited for her to speak. 

“Optimus, I’m …” she swallowed. “I’m scared.”

At her guardian’s probing gaze, she looked down at the dirt around her feet, bit her lip and ducked her head, her face screwing up in an effort not to cry.

A single finger of the Prime’s hand hooked under her chin, lifting it gently.

Nova’s eyes opened. That was something only he could do. A single tear rolled down the bridge of her nose and trickled onto Optimus’ finger as she locked eyes with him, her brown ones held by the gaze of his bright blue ones.

“I am here for you,” he said. “For all of my days, I will be here.”

She glanced away, hesitant to believe it.

“Nova.”

She looked up.

“Always,” Optimus intoned.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Two hours later, Ratchet closed the Groundbridge behind Optimus’ tall figure as he walked into the base, holding the exhausted half-spark gently in his hands.

“Did she do it?” Ratchet asked.

Optimus nodded. “It is done.”

The medic looked into the Prime’s hands. Laid out on his fingers, the half-spark breathed quietly, her armor removed and her eyes closed.

“Is she asleep?” Ratchet inquired.

“She is.”

“Thank the Allspark. She was depleted from her stay with the humans,” Ratchet said grouchily. “That child doesn’t know how to take care of herself. I’ll need to administer Energon to her tomorrow, but it may still take a few days for her to recover.”

“I understand,” Optimus said, placing Nova on the brown couch in the human corner.

The medic was silent, and the two Cybertronians looked at the girl in silence, watching her sleep in peace at last.

“What you did for her today… you’ve never had to do before, have you?” Ratchet asked.

“I have had to do it more times than I would like, old friend,” Optimus replied. “But it has never been quite like this.” His finger reached out and brushed a lock of hair from Nova’s eyes, revealing a scar on her temple from her encounter at school. “It will take time for her to heal.”

“Not only her,” Ratchet pointed out. “We all have our own healing to do.”

“And we will do so together,” Optimus replied. “As a team.”

“As a family,” Ratchet corrected.

“Yes.” A small smile came to the Prime’s face. “As a family.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That wraps up the death saga! Now we can finally get on with the show! The next chapter will be a lot better and much more fun to write, in my opinion. Stay tuned!
> 
> That is, of course, if you all think it's worth it. Should I keep going??
> 
> I think I will :)
> 
> -swingaway


	8. Nemesis Prime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which MECH makes a doppelganger of ... Optimus! 
> 
> *dun dun DUNNNN*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybot! I'm back, and I've got a new chapter. 
> 
> I really don't know what else to say.
> 
> giant, offscreen crowd: Get on with it!
> 
> me: okay but what about the epigrap--
> 
> crowd: GET ON WITH IT

Nova woke to the familiar sounds of an Energon pump, and Ratchet muttering to himself.

She raised her head. “Ratchet?”

He glanced at her from where he was adjusting the machine that ran Energon through the tube in her arm.

“Good morning,” he said.

“Good _morning_? How long have I been asleep?” Nova asked, sitting up on the table.

“Yip-ip-ip! No moving! Not until I say so,” Ratchet ordered, making her lie down again. “You’ve been asleep for five days. Optimus was starting to get worried.”

“So, I was asleep for the whole week? What is today — Thursday?” Nova asked. She reached up to touch her face. “My cuts are gone.”

“Courtesy of your rather frustrated local physician,” Ratchet replied, pointing to himself. “Were you aware, young lady, that your Energon levels had dropped to only five percent in the time it took for June to ‘humanize’ you? You wore yourself disgracefully thin. If you weren’t such a small human, and liable to fall apart at the slightest reprimand, I’d be angry with you.”

Nova sighed, clasping her hands on her stomach and gazing up at the ceiling. “I’m sorry, Ratchet. I just had a rough week.”

“I should say so. That means you need to be even more careful than usual. You need to take good care of yourself if you are ever out of my sight, understand? Until then, you have to do exactly as the doctor says, or he _will_ get angry.”

“Yes, Ratchet."

“And you won’t get up from that bed until my diagnostics are through.”

“Yes, Ratchet.”

“And you won’t go anywhere without telling me or Optimus.”

“Yes, Mom.”

Ratchet narrowed his eyes. “What was that?”  
Nova suppressed a smile. “Sorry.”

“‘Sorry’ my skidplate. Do you know how much you put us through these past few days?”

“Yes, Ratchet.”

“No, you don’t. I had to send Optimus on an Energon scouting mission earlier just so I could keep him from you. You may have been sleeping these past few days, but Optimus wasn’t. When it counts, he can be _almost_ as protective as I am.”

“Yes, Ratchet.”

“He wouldn’t even recharge, because he had to watch you. In the daytime you were fine, but at night…” his voice trailed off.

“What?” Nova prompted, raising her head. “What happened at night?”

Ratchet scoffed. “If you think I’m going to tell you after that exhaustion stunt you pulled, you have another think coming. Now hold still.” He raised the scanner to her body. “You know what to say to that?”

“Yes, Ratchet?”

“Very good.”

“After you’re done, can I go out to the cliff?”

Ratchet looked at her skeptically. “What if you fall?”

“Never fell before.”

“What if you jump?”

Nova glared at him. “Ratchet, do you really think I’m going to commit _suicide_?”

“It’s possible. Arcee considered it once, after Cliffjumper died.”

“I’m not Arcee,” Nova said. “I won’t jump, and even if I did, I doubt it would kill me.”

“The impact of jumping off a _cliff_ would _absolutely_ kill you!” Ratchet narrowed his eyes at her. “And those are some famous last words. Doubting your own death.”

Nova sighed. “I’ll be fine. I just feel awful and I want to go up and clear my head for a few minutes, okay?”

After a minute of reflection, Ratchet shut off his scanner and put it away.

“I will allow it,” he said. “But I’m going to send someone out with you.”

“Oh, Ratchet—”

“No. You say ‘ _Yes,_ Ratchet,’ and that’s it,” he snapped.

“Yes, Ratchet.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Five minutes later, Nova dangled her legs high above the ground and stared into space as she sat on the edge of the cliff above the base. It was her favorite sitting place, a little ways away from Cliffjumper’s rock pile, but close enough to allow conversation with it on some days.

Nova hadn’t known Cliffjumper, and she did not like to tread upon Arcee’s sacred ground, but some days, when she felt very sad, and if Optimus was busy, she would come out to the cliff, and she would dangle her legs, and sometimes, she would talk to the rocks. It wasn’t any substitute for a real friend, but Nova preferred it to nothing. Cliffjumper was a good listener.

But today, she had nothing to say. The half-spark still felt tired, even though she’d already slept for a while, and she didn’t feel like talking to anyone who wouldn’t respond.

In her zoned-out state, Nova hardly noticed Bulkhead’s approach until he was right next to her.

“Uh, hey,” he said simply, taking a seat.

Nova broke from her trance, glanced at him, and stared out at the world again. “Hey.”

“Long nap?”

Nova nodded. “You got the short straw?”

“Yeah, uh, Ratchet told me to come out here and make sure you didn’t fall, or something,” Bulkhead explained. “Not sure why he asked me. This is kinda Arcee’s spot, you know?”

“I know,” Nova said, looking over at the rocks. “She comes out here a lot.”

“Don’t you sit out here, too?” Bulkhead asked.

The half-spark nodded. “I come out here when I need to. Sometimes Optimus doesn’t have time for me.”

“Well, he’s had a lot of time for you lately,” Bulkhead replied, rubbing his head. “Seems like he couldn’t really think of anything else. You slept for a while.”

“Mm.” Nova grunted, staring into space.

Bulkhead looked after her gaze, down the road that led to Jasper. “Um. Nice day, huh?"

Nova nodded.

“Uh,” Bulkhead tried to think of something else to say. “Did you like Jasper when you went?”

Nova snapped back to reality. “Oh, I didn’t get to see much of it. All I really saw was June’s house and the school.” She fell back into silence.

“Um,” Bulkhead ventured, “There’s a monster truck rally over there in a few days. Maybe you could ride with Miko and me; we could show you around. Miko likes the burger joint on Third Street.”

“I can’t,” Nova replied. “Ratchet said I can’t go anywhere without permission, and I doubt he would let me go back to Jasper so soon after my … um … web-based popularity.”

“Yeah,” Bulkhead smiled, remembering. “I heard about what happened with Vince. He’s one messed up kid.”

“Can’t argue with you there,” Nova replied, smiling back. “Did you see the video?”

“Yeah. Kinda glad Miko wasn’t with you.” Bulkhead nudged her teasingly. “Were you scared, or does Nova Makutan not get scared?”

“To tell you the truth, Bulkhead, in that moment, when he threw his first punch…” Nova shook her head. “I didn’t really know what to do.”

“You didn’t?” Bulkhead asked. “I thought you had the plan to beat the bully by not beating him, or somethin’.”

“Not a plan, really,” Nova admitted. “I just knew I couldn’t hurt anyone. That was the whole plan: don’t hurt anyone. Really, I _was_ kind of scared. I have been for a few days now.”

“Oh,” Bulkhead said. “Nova, I’m, uh… I’m sorry. Y’know, about your brother.”

Nova shook her head. “That’s okay.”

“No, I don’t really think it is,” Bulkhead replied. “Nobody should ever have to do that. I mean, if I’d had to kill Wheeljack, I wouldn’t be able to do it.”

“Yeah,” Nova said, frowning. “I guess you can afford that luxury.”

“I didn’t mean it like that…”

“I know you didn’t,” Nova sighed, her frown deepening. “But I’m the monster, you know. I can twist whatever words I want, isn’t that how it works?”

Bulkhead stared at her. “You’re not a monster. I’m just trying to say that you were very brave, doing what you did. We don’t want you to feel guilty over what happened.”

“But I _do_ feel guilty,” Nova replied, seething. “I’m just burning up with guilt inside, Bulkhead. I killed my own brother. Can you imagine how that feels? It feels awful. I feel so guilty, and hateful, and vile, and I don’t know how I’m going to be able to live with myself, or forgive myself, after this.” She clenched her fists on her legs. “I’m a despicable little murderer, and I’m no better than a Decepticon.”

“That’s not true,” Bulkhead replied firmly. “Now you listen to me—”

“I don’t want to listen to you,” Nova said, stubbornly. “I already know what I am.”

“Well, you’re gonna listen,” Bulkhead fired back. “You just said a bunch of stuff that wasn’t true, and now it’s _my_ turn to talk.”

His tone shocked Nova into silence.

“Look, what you did was something you had to do,” he continued. “Coby was going to kill other humans — probably other Cybertronians, too — if you hadn’t stopped him. You saved a lot of people, you know that?”

She said nothing.

He sighed. “Nova, a kid isn’t supposed to get caught up in a war like this; it just shouldn’t happen, but it did, and you have to do the best with what you got. And the fact is, we’re _in_ a war, you and me and everyone inside. When you lose someone, you gotta pick up after what happened,” he said, dropping his gaze. “And it’s slag, I know, but sometimes you’ve just gotta do it. You gotta push through, and you can’t gripe about yourself.”

The words stung.

“I’m not griping,” Nova said defensively. “I’m guilty. I never killed anyone before.”

“Yeah, well, the first time I had to kill a ‘Con, how do you think I felt?” Bulkhead asked. “Or Jackie, or Bee, or Optimus? How do you think Optimus feels? I’ll tell you. He feels like slag all the time, but he knows he’s gotta fight. Without him trying, more people are gonna get hurt, and if he can stop the bad guys from doing that, you bet he will.”

“But he hasn’t killed his brother,” Nova said. “I have.”

“Optimus might _have_ to kill his own brother, one day, and for now, he’s got no choice but to assume that Megatron’s his enemy. How do you think he’s feeling about that?”

Nova did not respond.

Bulkhead continued. “Look, the fact is, when we kill someone, when the Autobots kill _anyone_ , we’ve crossed a line. A life is a life, isn’t it? Whether it’s your best friend or a Vehicon grunt, a life is a life, and once it’s gone, it’s gone. But the Decepticons don’t care. They _kill_ people because they don’t care, and it’s our job to stop ‘em.”

He shook his head. “Killing’s wrong. We all know that. We’re all sick of killing, you know. We just have to keep fighting for the day when no one needs to kill anyone anymore. That’s why you gotta keep going. You can’t let it take control of you.”

“So what, I just — I just forget about Coby?” Nova asked. “I just forget about everyone?”

“No,” he answered. “Don’t forget about who you lost. But you can’t forget why you fight, either.”

Nova sighed, and fell back onto the rock, her arms resting in the dust.

After a long silence, she whispered, “Bulkhead, do you ever think this’ll end?”

Bulkhead thought for a moment.

“Well, I dunno,” he admitted finally. “You know I’m not a genius like Ratchet or Optimus, so I’m not mathematically _sure_ if the war will end or not. But my Spark tells me it’ll be over someday. And when it is, let me tell you I’m gonna be the first to put down my guns and stop fighting.”

Nova sighed again, a long, long sigh. “You and me both.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

That night, after Bulkhead and Nova had come back inside, Optimus still hadn’t returned, and everyone was clustered around the humans as they played the old familiar racing game that Raf always won.

“Yes!”  
“Go, go, go!”  
“Metal to the pedal, Miko!”

“Go, Jack, go!” Arcee cried.

“No way,” Miko shouted, her thumbs working overtime as her tongue stuck out of her mouth. “Raf’s scorching us!”

Suddenly, at Ratchet’s monitor, an alert beeped for an incoming transmission.

“ _Prime_!” Agent Fowler shouted through the screen. “ _Do you read me?!_ ”

“I’m sorry, Agent Fowler,” Ratchet said calmly, looking at the screen patiently. “Optimus isn’t here at the moment.”

“ _Then I’ll take that as confirmation that he’s presently trying to run me off the road!!”_

Nova glanced up from the game, puzzled. “What did he say?”

Ratchet shook his head. “Agent Fowler, that hardly seems likely.”

“ _Tell that to my burning treads!”_

Ratchet turned to the others. “Autobots, I’ve located Agent Fowler’s position. We need to go rescue him from … whatever he thinks he saw.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Fowler slammed the gas pedal to the floor as he glanced frantically in his rearview mirror. The hulking semi truck cab was hot on his bumper. It was Prime all right; the huge honking Autobot symbol on the grill proved it.

The truck was coming up on him, the headlights taking up all of his vision, like two blazing suns shining into his eyes, and his whole body jerked backward as the car was rammed from behind by the big rig.

Fowler gripped the wheel, knocking his head against the dashboard as his car spun out of control. He realized dimly that he was running off the road before a horrible crash lurched him forward. The seatbelt bit into his arm as he found himself staring out the windshield glass into the abyss that lay under the bridge.

_I’m on a bridge? Sweet Mother of Teddy Roosevelt, I’m on a bridge! I’m gonna fall!_

He put the car in reverse, trying to back away from the edge his car was already teetering on. The wheels, lifted from the ground, spun and spun without any purchase.

“Come on, come on!” Fowler growled, revving the engine again and again. But it was no use. The car was not going anywhere.

Glaring headlights reflected off his rearview. Fowler looked behind him, to the truck that had already driven up close behind him in the rubble of the divider. It inched ever closer, the lights growing brighter and brighter.

“Prime, no!” Fowler whispered, thinking this was the end. He was going to be pushed off the road by a sentient robot he’d trusted with his life only two days ago.

The truck pushed him closer, teasing the agent with death. Fowler’s eyes bugged out. Prime wouldn’t do this!

Would he?

The car slipped. Fowler’s heart leapt into his mouth.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

As Bumblebee raced towards the bridge, and the endangered US officer, Arcee peered suspiciously at the semi truck before them. 

“Looks like Optimus,” Bulkhead said hesitantly, as the truck, suddenly aware of their approach, turned tail and drove in the opposite direction.

“Primes don’t run,” Arcee said. She transformed and took off after the fleeing truck, her little engine revving. She was determined to catch this bot, whoever he was.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Just when gravity took hold, just when the vehicle fell over the edge, Fowler’s car jerked to a sudden stop, suspended in midair. It dangled from Bumblebee’s hand. The scout had a firm grip on the rear fender, the metal crumpling in his fingers.

But the fender didn’t have a firm grip on the car.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

And then he was falling. And falling. And screaming in terror.

As the fatal ground rushed up to meet him, Fowler was dimly aware of a huge green shape hurtling past his car — somehow it was faster than his falling vehicle — and it reached the ground first. The next thing Fowler knew, the whole car was jarred again with the impact of landing squarely in Bulkhead’s stocky arms. The US agent expected to find his spine to be snapped in several places.

Bulkhead peered in through the driver window. “You all right in there?”

“At ease, soldier,” Fowler wheezed, before the airbag exploded in his face.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

The truck turned into a darkened lot in a labyrinth of warehouses, and disappeared just before Arcee could reach it.

Determined, she turned into the entrance of the abandoned facility, her little headlight gleaming, and swept her gaze across the lonely flat. Her engine hummed quietly as she searched. There seemed to be nothing here, but she was sure she had seen —

Suddenly, glaring headlights overtook her vision as a shuddering impact jarred her frame and plunged her into darkness.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“What happened out there?” Nova asked as Ratchet propped Arcee up in the examination pod.

“I dunno,” Bulkhead replied, and Bumblebee shrugged. “After we sent Fowler through the Groundbridge, we went lookin’ and found her like that, passed out.”

Bumblebee made a beeping sound and pretended to swoon, falling into Bulkhead.

“But who was pushing Fowler over the bridge?” Nova asked.

Bulkhead and Bumblebee looked at each other.

“Well,” Bulkhead said hesitantly. “It, uh, it looked like Optimus.”

Bumblebee nodded.

Nova shook her head. “That’s impossible. Optimus wouldn’t do that. Where’s Agent Fowler? I want to ask him.”

“He’s not in a mood to talk to any of us right now,” Ratchet said. “We’ll find out once he comes out of his room. In the meanwhile, I’d like to attempt to revive Arcee without _any further distractions!”_

Bulkhead and Bee murmured their apologies, and Nova shut her mouth. But something about this made her suspicious. This wasn’t something Optimus would do. But he hadn’t come back yet…

“No,” she said to herself. “No. Even when Optimus thought he was a Decepticon, he didn’t do anything like this.”

Meanwhile, the kids and Fowler had reappeared on the railing.

“Have you figured out the Prime problem yet, smart-guy?” Fowler demanded.

“Agent Fowler, we aren’t even sure it was Optimus who is responsible for any of this,” Ratchet said.

“But Agent Fowler’s sure it was him,” Raf said. “I mean, how many big rigs with an Autobot symbol are out there?”

“I find it _extremely_ difficult to believe Optimus Prime would do anything remotely related to the things he’s been accused of tonight,” Ratchet snapped in response. “We’ll know for sure when Arcee wakes up. If you would kindly remain silent, she's coming to.”

Sure enough, the two-wheeler was opening her eyes with a groan.

“That’s it. Follow the light,” Ratchet said, holding up his optic-coordination flashlight to her face.

At the sight of the glowing light, Arcee started awake. “What?” Fear leaped into her eyes before she looked around and realized where she was.

Relieved, she recovered, and placed a hand to her forehead wearily. “Not the best choice of words, Ratchet.”

“Arcee, are you alright?” Jack asked in concern.

She nodded, staring vacantly at the ground. “Sure. Except for being blindsided by … Optimus.”

“Didn’t I tell you?!” Fowler demanded.

Ratchet shook his head. “Impossible.”

“I’m only reporting what I saw,” Arcee said quietly.

“Why would Optimus try to knock off Agent Fowler?” Jack asked.

“Thank you, Jack,” Nova said. “Optimus doesn’t do that kind of thing.”

“Maybe Optimus thinks he’s a Decepticon all over again,” Raf ventured.

Miko raised a finger as if a sudden realization had come to her. “Or… he’s been faking being a good guy all this time!”

“If Prime has gone off the rails, for _any_ reason,” Agent Fowler said gravely. “We have a serious problem.”

“But he wasn’t out there! He’s out scouting for Energon,” Nova said, looking up at Ratchet. “Isn’t that what you told me?”

“Optimus hasn’t reported in for hours,” Arcee said. “Who’s to say that’s what he was really doing?”

Nova glared at her. “Now, wait just a—”

“This is absurd,” Ratchet scoffed, turning towards the computer. “A quick check for Optimus’ signal will reveal that he’s nowhere _near_ the location of tonight’s incident.”

He pulled up Optimus’ location on the screen.

“In fact,” he continued evenly, turning to the drive-in hallway. “He’s just returning now.”

They all watched, attentively, as Optimus’ familiar engine came rumbling through the tunnel and he drove steadily into the middle of the base, transforming before them. Nova could feel the apprehension vibrating off of everyone as the tall Autobot leader approached them, his steps as steady and firm as ever.

He looked at Nova, and then at the tense fright in the eyes of the others.

“Is something wrong?” Optimus asked.

“We were just…” Arcee looked at Bulkhead. “Wondering where you’ve been.”

“We… haven’t been able to reach you,” Bulkhead added.

Optimus nodded deferentially. “I have been outside of our communication range…” he said, and reached for something in his hip compartment.

Instantly, everyone was on guard, weapons bristling. Except for Nova.

“Whoa!” Arcee said.

Bulkhead armed his guns. “Easy!”

Fowler flung a protective arm in front of the children.

Ratchet just stood there, looking around at all of them.

Optimus raised a hand in a placating gesture. “…In a subterranean Energon deposit,” he finished, showing them the large blue crystal he had obtained.

Nova crossed her arms over her chest and grinned up at Fowler triumphantly.

Bulkhead and Arcee exchanged another glance, unsure.

“Come on, it’s our guy,” Jack said. “Can’t you tell?”

There was another tense moment, before the Autobots put up their guns and stood down.

“We’re … sorry,” Arcee offered after a minute.

A rather bewildered look remained on their leader’s face, until Agent Fowler stepped in.

“Don’t blame them, Prime,” he said, placing his hands on the railing. “I was attacked earlier tonight, on the open highway by a big rig … one that bore a striking resemblance to you.”

Optimus’ frown deepened. “A Decepticon?”

“Not sure,” Arcee said. “But it had a pretty prominent Bot sigil on the grill, just like you.”

“I … see,” Optimus replied. “And you thought it was me.”

“No,” Bulkhead denied, laughing it off. “Not really! Course we didn’t!”

“We just weren’t sure,” Arcee said honestly.

“Whatever the vehicle’s origin, we must find a way to stop this impostor,” Optimus said. “By any means necessary.”

“Who knows what other havoc it may wreak in Optimus’ name,” Ratchet agreed.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Jeremy Wilson stared out the dirt-crusted window of his little security guard booth, his gaze roaming over the dusted plains surrounding the Alden military base, doing his job. It got a little boring sometimes, but Jeremy was a man of discipline. He had been assigned here for almost a month now, and it was much better than the assignment he’d had before. Being a security guard for this base, in the exact middle of nowhere, meant that nothing ever happened. Military determination aside, Jeremy really was looking forward to the next guard who would relieve his shift. He looked at his watch.

_Three hours left._

He sighed. It would be a long wait, but he set his jaw and looked resolutely out at the dust and sand beyond. The little grey road that ran into the base barely had visible yellow lines on it; cracked in several places, it sometimes barely passed for a road, but in these places, nondescript and unassuming was best. It would not do to attract unnecessary attention. This base might not have the popularity of other US bases which were the subject of conspiracy theorists, but it still required secrecy, and the more Area 51 stole the spotlight and drew attention away from Alden, the better.

“Speaking of attention,” Wilson muttered, peering down the wobbling road, “What in the Sam Hill is that?”

A big rig; dark red in color, with rusted silver smokestacks, was barreling down the grey pavement at full speed toward the base, kicking up dust behind it.

Jeremy leapt out of his booth and stood before the yellow bar at the entrance to the base, holding up his hand in a warning. “Halt!”

The truck sped closer, paying no heed to the human in its way. Jeremy leaped out of the truck’s path as the unidentified vehicle blasted through the yellow pole and into the base, screeching and squealing as it crashed into every helicopter and aerial object on the ground.

Yelling some hurried details into his radio, Jeremy joined a few others in his squad as they marched to the base, ducking behind a downed helicopter as they prepared to apprehend the truck.

“THIS IS A RESTRICTED AREA,” their commander barked through his megaphone as the truck came to a stop. “EXIT THE VEHICLE, OR WE WILL OPEN FIRE.”

Wilson and Gibson ventured forward and flung open the driver’s side door, thrusting their guns forward in preparation for an attack.

But there came none, for there was no one inside.

The shock the soldiers experienced quickly gave way to fear as the truck’s outer plating split apart and slowly reformed with a _whrr-tchz-tchz-tchz-chk_ into a giant robot, towering thirty feet above them, and it stared down at them coldly.

Jeremy held onto his helmet, his mouth agape as he stared up and up and _up_ at the giant.

It began to speak, in a loud, booming voice, reverberating through the whole base as it glowered down at them with dull yellow eyes.

“I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots,” it said, forming a huge blaster over its right hand, “And I bring you this message.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“It _has_ to be MECH,” Nova said. “Silas is responsible, I know it. This is Project Chimera. This is what I’ve heard them talk about.”

“We do not know for certain that MECH is responsible,” Optimus said.

“We don’t know for certain they aren’t,” Ratchet retorted. “This is just the kind of thing they would do.”

“But wouldn’t they be doing more with their tech than just making a red truck and trying to bump off Agent Fowler?” Raf asked. “They have the potential to do so much more. Why would they do something so … so …”

“Lame,” Miko finished. “Really lame."

“I — I don’t know,” Nova said, putting a hand to her head. “But think about it. This wasn’t some angry trucker looking to do jail time. This person knew Optimus’ specific color scheme, they knew about the Autobot symbol, and they knew where to find Agent Fowler.”

“So do the Decepticons,” Raf pointed out.

“But wouldn’t the Decepticons order an air strike, or try to infiltrate our base, or something?” Nova asked. “They wouldn’t try to commit a simple traffic violation.”

“They might,” Bulkhead replied. “They tried to clone Wheeljack before, and send a phony to the base.”

“But the ‘Cons know we won’t fall for that again,” Arcee said. “Besides, the clone was Starscream’s idea. Subtlety isn’t Megatron’s thing.”

“That’s right, and besides, we already _have_ the real Optimus,” Nova said, pointing to her guardian. “Whoever’s driving that truck isn’t trying to fool _us_. Someone’s targeting the humans. The Decepticons are different. They would try to target you directly, but this truck has just been running away at the first sign of conflict. MECH runs away. Believe me, I know. This is Project Chimera. This is the end result of the plans and blueprints I saw.”

There was a silence as they mulled over Nova’s words.

“I guess we can’t know that for sure until we have further proof,” Jack said.

Ratchet snorted. “Hmph. Not that I don’t believe it.”

“But we _already_ know,” Nova said in exasperation. “Look, I’ll prove it to you. If it really is MECH behind that truck, then it’ll attack a military base at some point.”

“Why would they do that?” Raf asked.

“Yeah,” Miko said. “It’s only a truck. What’s a big rig gonna do against a tank?”

Nova thought for a minute. “Silas isn’t stupid. If he wanted to frame Optimus, he’d have the means to do it.”

“Are you saying they actually built a robot version of Optimus?” Arcee scoffed. “That’s impossible.”

“Not much is impossible for Silas,” Nova said. “If he’s gone this far with a simple truck, he will go further. He’s planned this out.”

“If the military already knows about Optimus, there’s no reason to attack them,” Arcee said.

“Yes, there is,” Nova said. “Think about it. Agent Fowler is the only United States agent who is in constant contact with Optimus. MECH just tried to kill him, to get rid of our one human advocate. With him out of the way, there would be no one who could speak up for Optimus and confirm he hasn’t gone bad.”

“But they didn’t kill Fowler,” Jack pointed out. “There’s no way they’ll fall for a fake if Fowler can sort it out.”

“Now, hold on, kid,” Fowler said. “I’m good, but I’m not that good. Nova’s right. If the truck starts destroying government property, the Pentagon won’t care what I say. The military responds to threats, and this truck is becoming one.”

“MECH’s way to world dominance is to destroy all who oppose them,” Nova agreed. “And Silas has a sort of … personal grudge against the US. He’s going to attack their military first, but he’s going to do it discreetly. This truck will just be a way for him to get the robotic aliens blamed for the attack, so he can do his real work in the shadows.”

“Oh, I get it,” Miko said confidently. “This is how every action movie goes.”

“Yeah,” Raf agreed. “The fake Optimus will destroy the military infrastructure, and then Silas will come in with his robot supersoldiers, ready to save the day. Then he’ll pull the wool over everyone’s eyes, and conquer the world after the governments buy into his “world protection” plan.”

“If he can make the world afraid of Optimus; Silas will conquer nations overnight,” Nova said.

“Hold everything,” Fowler said, pulling out a ringing phone. “I’m gettin’ a call.”

He flipped it open and put it to his ear. “Fowler.”

The next instant, he throttled the air in an involuntary response to what he heard. “ _What_?! That’s not possible.” He turned to look at Optimus. “I can tell you as sure as there are fifty stars on my star-spangled shorts, it isn’t him!”

Within another few seconds, Fowler shut the phone and came back to the railing, glancing at Nova briefly.

“Alden military base is under attack,” he announced. “By Optimus Prime.”

“The truck?” Jack asked.

Fowler looked at Optimus. “The ‘Bot.”

A grave look came into Optimus’ eyes.

“We’ve gotta go!” Bulkhead said, running to the Groundbridge entrance.

“Ratchet, bridge us there,” Optimus ordered, sliding his battle mask on as the others gathered at the portal tunnel. “We must defend the military base.”

“With pleasure,” Nova growled, marching forward.

“Not you, Nova,” Optimus denied. “Remain here.”

“But I—”

“Nova,” Optimus said firmly. “You are to remain at base until further notice. I will explain later.”

From the way he looked at her, Nova knew she had no choice but to obey.

She set her jaw and swallowed her protest. “Yes, sir.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

A plume of fire exploded on Jeremy’s right, knocking him to the cement, but he righted himself again and lifted his automatic weapon to his shoulder, targeting the huge robot — truck? — who advanced out of the smoke toward them.

The voice of his commander cried out between explosions, “Fire! _Fire_!”

So Jeremy did. So did everyone else around him, but it had no effect on their assailant. The robot kept advancing, blasting into them with that awful gun on its arm, destroying everything in its path. Ruthlessly. Coldly. In all his years of service, Jeremy had never before faced an enemy like this.

The soldier gritted his teeth and stood his ground, readying his weapon to fire again, but before he could pull the trigger, a green swirling plume appeared out of thin air, giving way to three other robot monsters who stomped into view. They were more brightly colored than the first intruder, but Jeremy was far past caring what they looked like. Their glowing arm-mounted weapons were enough evidence that they were dangerous.

As soon as the rusty ground-pounder saw what had come out of the portal, it transformed and sped away, churning up dust, but Jeremy had no idea where it went. The new robots captured all of his panicked attention.

_There’s more of them? How can there be more of them?!_

“ _There_!” Jeremy heard a voice bark in his radio. “ _They’ve brought reinforcements_! _Resume fire_!”

Streaking missiles from helicopters and dozens of bullets peppered the air, including Jeremy’s own, but the robots, though their weapons were readied, did nothing. All he knew was that the big red robot was saying something about falling back, and the four of them jumped back into the portal just as the last missile was fired and it exploded —

And that was it. They disappeared with the smoke.

Jeremy got shakily to his feet and coughed through the smoke, brushing off his combat uniform. This was not a good day.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Agent Fowler paced back and forth, the flip phone glued to his ear as he debated with his superior. “No, General Bryce. Optimus Prime did not attack our boys.”

He put a hand to his hip as he stared at the floor, listening to the angered response. “…Because I was with Prime when I received the alert!”

Nova held onto Optimus’ leg as the entire base listened to Fowler’s report. This was going to be bad. She felt that sinking feeling in her gut that told her something horrible was about to happen, and she knew exactly who was responsible for it.

“Yes, sir, the Autobots were at your base, but only in response to the initial attack,” Fowler said. A moment passed as he listened to Bryce yelling on the other end. A pleading look came into his face as he protested, “But sir, I—”

His shoulders slumped a little in resignation as Bryce interrupted him with a string of loud denials.

“Yes, sir. I understand,” Fowler said finally.

He flipped the phone shut.

“So what’s the damage?” Jack asked. Nova already guessed what it was. Optimus must have felt her fingers gripping his tire treads, because he leant down to pick her up and put her on his shoulder. At least now she could see better, but the words she heard next still hurt.

Fowler set his shoulders. “All military personnel are under strict orders to destroy any and all Bots on sight.”

“Are you kidding?!” Jack asked.

Raf stammered out a protest. “But th-they’re innocent!”  
“Optimus was framed!” Miko cried.

“Though unfortunate,” Optimus said firmly, his voice ringing out above their protests. “This military order changes nothing. Our imposter clearly poses a grave threat to humanity.”

“A thirty-foot-tall _transforming_ imposter,” Fowler reminded them.

“It’s just what I was afraid of,” Nova said, burying her face in her hands.

Ratchet turned to Optimus and the girl. “They finally did it. Those butchers managed to crack the code.”

Nova thought it. Optimus said it.

“MECH.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

The rust-colored, dull red truck rumbled along the cement tunnel, driving up the path and parking in the middle of a dark hangar, its brakes squeaking a little. In a chair surrounded by orange, glowing light screens sat the scarred embodiment of Nova’s trauma, Silas himself.

He operated the joysticks for his remote-controlled vehicle with as much grace and ease as an 80’s teen at an arcade store, his smooth, cold face showing only the slightest of smiles as his creation rolled into the hangar and eased to a stop, transforming into the visage of Optimus Prime himself.

Another agent came up behind the control chair, his black goggles glinting in the dim light. “Sir, any parallax or latency issues?”

Silas leaned back in his chair, studying the screen for a moment, then stood up.

“The telepresence interface performed flawlessly,” he said, with another uncommon smile. “In vehicular and robot mode.”

He turned to his subordinate. “Anything to report?”

“We’ve received an update from the field,” the agent said, handing him a clipboard. “Apparently the tracking device on the Omega Centurion has been deactivated.”

Silas took the clipboard calmly. “The Centurion has been terminated?”

“Yes, sir.”

The leader of MECH surveyed the papers briefly and handed it back. “Who was responsible?”

“The Alpha Sentinel, sir. The traitor.”

“Unexpected. She is becoming bolder,” Silas said. “It is only a matter of time before they discover us. Fortify the silo. No one gets in or out until the operation has been completed.”

“Yes, sir.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“Well, that was an epic disaster,” Arcee said as she stepped back into the base.

“Did you trash him, Bulk?!” Miko demanded, gripping the railing excitedly.

“I didn’t even get to touch him,” Bulkhead replied, shaking his head. “He disappeared right when we showed up.”

“Did he look like Optimus?” Jack asked.

“Couldn’t tell,” replied Arcee. “He turned and ran too fast for us to see anything but his taillights.”

“That phony son of a scraplet,” Miko growled. Bumblebee buzzed in agreement.

“Language, Miko,” Ratchet said gruffly.

“Why didn’t you let me go?” Nova asked, trotting beside Optimus’ heel as they exited the Groundbridge. “I could have helped.”

“No, Nova,” Optimus replied, looking down at her. “If you had joined us, you would only have been harmed. This impostor was no unbalanced drone. It was fully autonomous and fluid in its movements, and … it was targeting humans.”

“What do you mean?” Nova asked.

Optimus looked at the floor for an instant. “The impostor’s interest was not in destroying military weapons or supplies. It specifically wished to harm the soldiers. If you had been there, as a traitor to Silas’ cause, he would likely have fixated on you.”

Nova thought for a minute. “You’re saying he’s trying to draw me out.”

“I believe that is his intent, among other things.” Optimus turned to join the others. “Until this impostor is defeated, you will not be allowed to leave the base unless you have my express permission to do so. Do you understand?”

Nova stared up at him silently, but there was a certain gleam in her eyes that the Prime knew well. The look in her face showed that she had already made a decision, and had no intention of abandoning it, even for him.

She shone with the same sort of determination Ironhide had when he dealt with threats; the same immovable resolution Megatron emanated when he spoke; the same quiet confidence Elita possessed when she had told him, on that fateful day, _“I will go, Optimus.”_

_I will go._

He had let her go. He had let them all go, but he did not intend to let Nova go. Not this time.

“I am well aware of the destruction Silas has wreaked upon your family,” Optimus said. “And I know you wish to bring him to justice. However, he remains a clear and present danger to you, Nova, and as such, I cannot allow you to face him alone. To do so would be to violate one of the most important values we Autobots cherish,” he continued, bending down to her. “To protect life.”

Nova looked at the floor.

He lifted her chin with his finger. “To protect you.”

A moment passed.

“Yes, sir,” she said curtly, looking into his eyes. The light had not left. Optimus knew neither he nor any force in the universe could stop her, now.

“Do not confront Silas unless there is dire need,” he said. “That is an order.”

“Yes, sir.”

He searched her eyes. “Do I have your word?”

At this, Nova’s gaze seemed to soften, and she responded sincerely. “Yes, sir.”

He nodded at her, assured of her promise, and they walked together to the computer, where everyone else was gathered.

“MECH abducted Breakdown,” Ratchet was saying, laying out the facts for everyone who hadn’t caught up. “And by all indications, dismantled him from cranial chamber to heel strut.”

“I was there,” Bulkhead agreed, looking at Nova. “Remember that?”

“Painfully,” she replied.

“And we know that, more recently, they obtained Starscream’s T-cog,” Ratchet continued.

“Which they evidently installed in a knockoff of you,” Arcee said, gesturing to Optimus.

Ratchet nodded. “—which, in turn, scanned an appropriate vehicle form…”

“Fill the tank with Energon,” Jack added.

“And say hello to Nemesis Prime!” Miko finished with a flourish.

 _Nemesis Prime,_ Nova thought. _That’s what Silas is sending after my friends._

She folded her arms over her chest and thought to herself, _This has got to stop. I don’t want to disobey Optimus, but someone has to find Silas and take him out. He can’t be allowed to kill anyone else._

Her mind responded with a pertinent question.

_Are you ready to take the life of another human being?_

She pondered this for a moment, imagining herself finding Silas and destroying him for everything he had ever done. She thought of Coby’s madness, and of the screams she had heard when Silas had killed her mother and father, and she thought of the fear she saw in Vince’s eyes and in the eyes of any human who saw her for what she was. A monster. An alien that did not belong. And it was all because of one Colonel Leland Bishop.

 _Yes,_ she thought. _I am ready._

Ratchet had just finished explaining that MECH did not have the technological capability to make a working Groundbridge, so their base must be within driving distance of the two incidents carried out that day.

“Well, then, what’re we waiting for?” Fowler demanded, punching his fist into his hand. “Let’s get out there and mash MECH’s little science project.”

“Agent Fowler,” Optimus said sternly, “I do not think it advisable to put yourself in harm’s way of MECH’s robot again.”

"Well, I’m not sure it’s advisable for Bots to be running recon with the military out there gunning for you,” Fowler fired back.

Optimus looked down at him. “We will maintain vehicular cover until absolutely necessary.”

Ratchet keyed in four separate coordinates near the areas of the robot’s attacks, and opened the Groundbridge.

“Who wants to go first?” he asked. “I’m sure you’re all eager to get scrapped by an Optimus lookalike.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“ _Nothing but tumbleweeds_ ,” Bulkhead reported in a few hours later. The sun had set, the moon had risen, and there was no sign of MECH’s base anywhere. For once, even Nova had no idea where it was.

“ _Just a whole lotta empty,_ ” Arcee said over the channel.

She rested her chin grumpily on her hand as she stood by the railing, watching the monitors on the screen. Optimus had ordered her to stay behind again, and she had to sit and watch with all the other humans as the Autobots combed the area for the location of their target.

A few minutes later, Bumblebee commed in from his position. He had found something. It seemed to be an abandoned network of silos.

 _I’m gonna check it out,_ he beeped. _I think this is it._

“ _Bumblebee, proceed with utmost caution_ ,” Optimus said over the link. “ _Reconnaissance only. We will rendezvous at your coordinates_.”

Nova lifted her head. “Do you think they found it?”

“It appears to be the only viable location so far,” Ratchet said. “Certainly big enough to hide a machine as big as Optimus.”

“He might need help,” the half-spark suggested.

“Absolutely not!” Ratchet retorted sharply. “You remember what Optimus said. We have no idea what is waiting for us there. I will _not_ bridge you into the middle of a dangerous situation with no way of knowing what you’re walking into.”

“Ooh, busted!” Miko said next to her.

Nova sighed. This was going to be a long wait.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

The computer monitor identified the yellow Camaro as it drove through the dust-paved roads, tracking its progress. The MECH intelligence agents had a file on every Cybertronian they had encountered, but even they had not expected an appearance so soon. 

“The Autobots are persistent,” Silas said, sitting in the controller chair and grabbing the joystick. “Time to meet their match.”

Nearby, the towering robot they had constructed jerked in response to its master’s command, the yellow eyes flickering to life.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Bumblebee transformed and stepped warily through the abandoned buildings, his glowing blue eyes scanning the darkness around him as he approached. His movements were fluid, ready for action, but his gaze was sharp, and intently wary of anything that stirred.

Step by step, he moved forward, his eyes sweeping back and forth as he searched ahead of him silently. He was a scout. He knew what he was doing. But for some reason, he felt more exposed and vulnerable than he had in a long time. A bad feeling started to creep into his circuits.

“Bumblebee.”

He whipped around and readied his blasters, prepared for whatever might come out of the darkness.

A clunking noise of a large bot met his receptors, and he saw two eyes glowing in the shadows as the voice came again.

“Be on your guard,” it said. “My double could be anywhere.”

It sounded just like Optimus.

Bumblebee beeped out a hesitant question, lowering his guns slightly. 

A pause.

The voice said, “I’m sorry. What?”

That thing was not Optimus. Optimus always understood what he said. Bumblebee raised his weapons and let lasers fly into the darkness. The dark shape dodged his shots and lumbered over to him, slamming Bumblebee over the head despite the yellow scout’s blows to his side and chest.

Before Bumblebee could retreat, the impostor slammed a foot into his chest, and the powerful impact sent him flying. As his body hit the ground, the scout tried to get up, but his systems had been disoriented, and he fell back and knew no more. 

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“Bumblebee?” Optimus called through the commlink, with Bulkhead and Arcee by his side. “Do you read?”

His effort to hail their scout elicited nothing but static as they approached the darkened buildings of the silo.

Arcee drew her guns. “Fan out?”

The two mechs activated their weapons as well, and split up into three directions as Optimus gave them a final warning.

“And beware of anything that might resemble me.”

No warning could prepare them for the attacks that followed, or the machine which managed to deplete Optimus of both his remaining soldiers, leaving only one left.

But the impostor did not kill the Autobots in the darkness. Silas wanted Optimus alone, and he was not going to waste time with mere associates.

It was time for man and machine to challenge the Prime of Cybertron.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“If I can isolate the control frequency of the remote link that Silas is employing,” explained Ratchet from his computer, “I should be able to pinpoint his exact position.”

“Remote link?” Raf asked from the railing.

Ratchet looked at him. “You didn’t think MECH possessed the ability to build a _completely_ autonomous robot, did you?”

Miko grinned. “I was hoping Silas would be operating the bot from _inside_ , because one punch from Bulkhead and _booyah! Ughelayh!_ ” She acted out the scenario which ended with the “bot” falling to the floor in its death throes.

“Aha!” Ratchet exclaimed, staring at his monitor. “Frequency isolated.”

Agent Fowler pointed at the tunnel firmly. “Then reopen that bridge.”

Nova looked at him from where she stood next to Jack. He wanted to go?

Apparently, Ratchet shared her doubts. “Agent Fowler, did you not hear Optimus advise against your involvement? It’s for your own safety.”

“Look, Doc,” Agent Fowler said. “I don’t plan on dancin’ with any Bots, but there’s a human element in play here. And in case you haven’t noticed, I happen to be a highly trained, government-grade _human_.”

“Yeah,” Miko agreed brightly. “Plus, Cylas tried to run him off the road.” She shrugged. “It’s personal.”

Ratchet looked at Nova. “You’re awfully quiet.”

“What do you expect me to say?” Nova replied. “You already know I’m going.”

Ratchet sighed. “Well, considering what is at risk here, and considering the amount of human security that base will undoubtedly have, I do not think Agent Fowler should be allowed to go alone.”

“And Optimus did say you could fight if there was an urgent need,” Jack reminded her.

“I know what he said,” Nova said, perhaps a little irritably. “You heard the agent, Ratchet. Open the bridge.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

The moon was high in the night sky, gazing down at the Prime as he locked his gun on his forearm and prepared for a confrontation. No one had reported back for several minutes, and there was no sign of movement anywhere, human or otherwise. Had it not been for the tangible apprehension Optimus felt, the scene could have passed for a peaceful night.

He advanced forward, passing one silo after another, his footsteps clanking gently in the quiet, until he turned a corner, and saw his opponent.

The impostor, legs wide and in a defensive stance, was directly before him, staring at him with emotionless, cold eyes.

“Optimus Prime,” it said, the voice unmistakably that of a human, “We meet again.”

The Prime loaded his gun and leveled it at the impostor’s head. “The deception ends here, Silas.”

“Does it?”

Nemesis Prime charged forward, flipping out a gun similar to Optimus’ own and firing a shot, which the true Prime dodged and returned with a few of his own, crossing the few steps until he was at a distance at which his fists would suffice as his primary weapons of choice.

The confrontation had begun.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Green and purple swirling into white light bloomed in the darkness, and two human bodies emerged from the brightness to land on the concrete with soft noises.

As the dizzying portal faded away, Agent Fowler held his stomach with one hand and covered his mouth with the other.

“Ugh,” he groaned.

“You all right?” Nova asked.

“I think I’m gonna toss the breakfast I ate back in flight school,” he replied, recovering.

A sharp clang drew their gaze immediately to their right, where the shadowed shapes of two massive Cybertronians could be seen grappling with one another.

“There they are,” Nova said.

A cellphone chime rang from Fowler’s pocket, and he flipped open his device to listen to Ratchet’s instructions as Nova watched the struggle beyond.

_“Agent Fowler, the control frequency is transmitting from a structure one hundred meters due north.”_

The US agent looked to the left, and spotted the building. “Copy that,” he said, flipping the phone shut and sliding it back into his pocket.

Nova was still watching the fight.

“I think Optimus is going to beat him,” she said. “But it’s so dark out here, it’s hard to tell which is which.”

“C’mon kid,” he said, looking over his shoulder at her. “Prime can take care of himself. We’re here on a different mission.” He pointed at the large, rounded building north of their position. “That’s our target. Stay close.”

Nova nodded, and formed her armor over her body. “Yes, sir.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

The swords clashed loudly in the night air as the two opponents swung at each other, straining against the other’s blows until Optimus swept his sword away and slammed his foot into Nemesis’ chest, sending the robot flying into the nearest building, which went up in instant fire and smoke.

Holding his hands in front of his face, Optimus plunged into the burning wreckage in pursuit of his adversary. The explosion plumed in the dark sky and attracted the attention of a MECH agent standing on the balcony of the control building. He lifted his night vision binoculars to better see the results of the fight, when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

He turned around, and was knocked senseless by one punch from Agent Fowler’s fist.

The soldier disposed of, Fowler turned to see Nova coming around the corner before him.

“That’s all of them on the outside,” she said, glancing down at the fiery debris left from the building.

Fowler looked askance at her. “Did you kill anyone?”

“No.” Nova looked at him steadily. “Not yet.”

“Then come on,” he said, making his way to the door. “Let’s take this to the head honcho.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Nemesis Prime landed another punch on the Prime’s jaw, and sent a flying kick to his chest, landing blow after forceful blow. He moved almost too fast for human eyes to comprehend, and he seemed to be gaining the advantage over his Cybertronian opponent.

“My robot chassis possess all your strength, speed … and firepower,” Silas boasted, activating the robot’s guns as he flung Optimus away. He let lasers fly at the Prime, but his opponent charged right between his blasts and leapt at him. Effortlessly, Nemesis used his momentum and launched the Prime several meters away, still standing in his defensive position.

"Add my extensive combat training,” Silas continued, “And MECH has clearly achieved the perfect meld of man and machine.”

The Prime said nothing, getting to his feet and pummeling the robot with all he had.

Silas, from the view of his monitors, could see every tactical decision, every physical weakness of the Prime, and he exploited them for all they were worth as he controlled the robot, but once the Cybertronian’s physical skills became too overwhelming, the MECH commander steered his robot away, falling back and climbing up a ladder of the very building in which his control chair sat, the blaster fire of the Prime hot on his heels. Optimus gave chase, mounting the ladder and pursuing Nemesis to the top of the silo a few seconds behind.

Atop the roof, the two opponents faced each other on higher ground. Silas flung out one of his hand mounted swords; Optimus did the same, and they collided again, slicing and sweeping the blades at the speed of sound as one tried to gain the advantage over the other.

Quickly, Nemesis brought down his sword toward Optimus’ head with a heavy blow, and Optimus blocked it, the two of them straining against each other, the metal creaking and groaning. Optimus brought his enemy’s sword down to the side and flung it away, raising his arm again for another stroke.

Taking advantage of his enemy’s exposed side, Nemesis swept down his sword, seized his opponent by the shoulder, and drove his blade into Optimus’ torso.

In that splintered second, the Prime let out a strangled groan, and his eyes sprang wide above his mask in sudden pain as Silas held him steady on the hilt of his sword.

“But the key difference between you and me?” he asked, his head almost touching the Prime’s audio receptor. “My body can’t feel _pain_.”

He thrust the sword deeper, and twisted.

This time, Optimus let out a cry, and fell to his knees as Silas stood above him, the Energon staining the metal of his weapon.

“This is just the beginning,” he said, his voice laced with venom. “Imagine an army of transforming robots.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Sitting in the chair, Silas smiled to himself as he saw the Prime, beaten and forced to his knees by himself; a mere human. He raised his robot’s sword for the final blow.

“No one will stand against the newly rebooted MECH,” he said.

“Think again, _Si_.” 

Silas got up from his chair, whirling around.

“Agent Fowler,” he said, recognizing the US agent surrounded by dozens of unconscious MECH soldiers. “In the flesh at last.”

His gaze darted to Nova, who had just fallen to her knees in a reflection of the pain that Optimus was going through. “And you brought the traitor. I must admit, I was not expecting you so soon.”

Nova gasped in pain, curling over her wound in agony. Agent Fowler, seeing that he was on his own, punched one fist into his hand and made a beckoning gesture, his mouth cocked in a confident smirk. “I’m pullin’ the plug on your video game!”

They charged at each other, but nearby, Nova watched, her hand pressed over her aching side. The pain throbbed in her ribs, and a sudden small voice, unbidden and unnoticed, began to whisper in her mind.

 _This is it_ , the voice murmured. _This is your chance._

_Kill him._

The blue-edged sword began inching out of her wrist, and her eyes filled with horrible wrath.

_Kill him. He has done so much to hurt you! You have a chance to make things right. To pay him back for all he did to you. To Coby._

She struggled to her feet, and got up off the floor. Her rage began to grow.

_He deserves death. Kill him._

The blade inched out a little more.

_He will pay. I will kill him._

_Kill him!_

She moved a half-step forward, as if drawn by a string.

_No, Nova._

The sudden thought, like a beam of light in a deep cave, seized ahold of her and brought her forcibly to her senses. Her eyes widened, the rage disappeared from her face, and she wobbled. Shaking, she looked down at the sword she had formed, and was about to put it away, when her gaze suddenly fell on the control chair.

“Don’t give in, Nova.” She sucked in a breath, ignoring the pain in her side, and flung out her other sword. “You have a job to do.”

A few feet away, Fowler leapt at Silas, who dodged his initial attack and floored him with a well-placed blow on his back. A little winded, Fowler got up from the floor, shocked at the fighting style he experienced.

“Ex-military?” he asked in astonishment.

“Special tactics,” Silas rejoined, his fists clenched before his face as he charged again. “You?”

Agent Fowler stepped away from his punch and delivered a blow to Silas’ gut, then his neck, then finished off with a hard right hook to the side of his jaw.

“Army Rangers,” he said proudly.

“Retired, clearly,” Silas smirked, amused at Fowler’s unbalanced stance.

Fowler took a breath, and looked at him.

“I may be outta shape, but I don’t need to bust you up,” he said, swinging again. This time, Silas dodged his blow effortlessly and kicked him in the chest, sending Fowler to the floor.

A half-dozen more MECH soldiers approached, holding a weakened Nova securely between their electric prods as three others stood above the defeated agent, who raised his head, and wiped his mouth.

“I just need to buy Prime a little time,” Fowler smiled.

A horrified look came over Silas’ face as he recalled his forgotten robot, and he darted over to the control chair in a panic. The Prime had recovered somewhat from his stab wound, and had stumbled to his feet when the robot had made no move to finish him.

Silas sprang forward and slammed down the joystick just as the Prime’s fist struck, just barely blocking his attack, but it was too late. The Prime rained down blows on the impostor, one after the other, so fast that Silas could no longer keep up. 

“No,” he muttered, pressing every button, moving every lever. “No, no no!” He tried to press the pedals to move, to transform, but what was his surprise to find that his monitor had been sliced open by a certain laser-edged bioweapon. The smoldering streak went right through the casing and cables, and sparks flew onto the concrete floor as he struggled with his machine. Nova Makutan smiled.

“That’s my handiwork,” she murmured proudly.

It was then that Optimus Prime leapt into the air, his fists clenched above his head in a stark silhouette against the moon, and came down on top of the robot with all the force of a falling semi, slamming into the roof.

Nova jumped into action and lashed out at the MECH agents, shoving them away, grabbing Agent Fowler by the arm and hauling him to his feet.

“We have to get out of here!”

They dashed away from the center of the building a split second before the roof caved in.

Seeing the machine he had constructed plunging down above him, Silas flung his arm over his head and cried out in terror.

“No, no, NO!”

The impact of the robot sent a cloud of dust and debris blasting into the building, and Agent Fowler raised an arm to protect his face. “Whoa!”

In less than a minute, the dust settled, the debris clanked to a final stop, and the robot fell still, its golden eyes flickering out.

As she regained her balance and swept the dust from her visor, Nova stared at the impostor’s face.

That monster looked far too much like Silas. Even in death, it wore an expression of calculating, ruthless brutality, as cold as ice. Optimus didn’t look like that. 

“Agent Fowler?” Optimus’ voice echoed down into the building.

Nova looked up. Fowler tensed in sudden apprehension like a child who had been caught swiping cookies.

The agent smiled, about to give an explanation, but the noise of distant helicopters suddenly met their ears. Optimus raised up a little and glanced at the night sky, staring warily out at the approaching military aircraft.

“That’d be our boys,” Fowler reassured him, folding his arms. “I’d advise you to get back to base, Prime. I’ll handle Uncle Sam.”

Optimus gave him a slight smile of gratitude.

“That goes for you too,” Fowler continued, turning to Nova. “You did good, kid. Thanks for the backup.”

She nodded, failing to meet his eyes.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Ratchet sent the Groundbridge a few seconds later, and Nova met Optimus outside the building as Arcee, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee helped each other into the Groundbridge. The experience of being beaten up by someone so similar to their leader had been a strange experience for them, and none of the others seemed to want to talk about it. They advanced through the Groundbridge with wary eyes as Nova waited behind for Optimus.

He lowered himself down from the top of the building, grunting softly as he pressed a hand into his side and approached the half-spark, who was waiting for him in the green glow of the portal.

Nova stared at him, then looked at the ground.

“He hurt you,” she said.

Optimus was silent for a moment.

“It will mend.”

“But when any of you get hurt, I get hurt, remember?” Nova asked, looking at him sharply. “And it hurts the most with you.”

Optimus held her gaze. “I know, Nova.”

She stared at him in surprise. “You … do?”

“Yes,” he said quietly. “You are not the only one who must take on the pain of others.”

She looked at him for a moment, and then her eyes widened in realization.“It hurts you, too?”

“Indeed,” Optimus said. “It is a manifestation of the power within the Matrix. It should not affect me as much, for I have learned to endure its pain. But sometimes…”

“Sometimes it still hurts,” she whispered.

“Yes,” he admitted. “It … hurts the most with you.”

He stared at her, perceiving a slight movement in her shoulders.

“I’m sorry, Optimus,” she said softly. “I should’ve done what you told me.”

A silence passed. The sound of helicopter blades pummeling the night air grew ever closer.

Nova looked up at him. “Are you sure we’re going to be all right?”

“My wound will mend,” he said reassuringly. “And in time, so will your own.”

“I hope so.” Nova glanced up at him. “Until then, it looks like we just have to take on each others’ pain for a while.”

“Maybe so, but you are one of the few people for whom I would gladly bear it.” Optimus smiled at her. “Let us go home.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“So how was it to see someone who looked _exactly_ like Optimus kicking the scrap outta you?” Miko asked playfully, leaning on the railing above Bulkhead.

Bulkhead only groaned and held his head.

Arcee folded her arms. “It’s a sight I won’t soon forget."

“The question remains whether MECH will continue to function as we know it without its leader,” Optimus said, his arm raised so Ratchet could finish welding his stab wound shut.

“Yeah, the Decepticons practically fell apart without Megatron,” Arcee agreed. “Maybe MECH will, too."

Nova sighed and lolled her head back, looking up at the ceiling from where she sat on the couch. “Don’t count on it. They’re a well-oiled machine which has a plan in place. They always do.”

“ _Well, here’s the kicker_ ,” Fowler said from the commlink. “ _We sifted through the wreckage with a fine-tooth comb. We couldn’t find any trace of Silas_.”

“They must have gone back for him right after we’d left,” Nova said, still staring up at the ceiling.

“What does that mean? Did he survive?” Jack asked.

Nova shrugged, and no one else answered. None of them had even seen the body after it had been buried in the rubble.

“I’m not sure any human could survive that,” Ratchet said, continuing to finish the welding line.

“He’s not just any human,” Nova replied, sighing. “He’ll probably be back, and we’ll have to deal with him again at some point.”

“ _Well, dead or no, it’s safe to say MECH is a threat to national security if they keep doin’ what they’re doin’_ ,” Fowler continued. “ _And because of that, I’ve got some major debriefing to do with the guys and with my boss. This whole thing’s gonna take a while to clean up._ ”

“I thought now that the fake was gone, things would get back to normal,” Miko said with a sigh.

“‘ _Fraid not. That thing we fought today was a Cybertronian, for all intents and purposes, and a Cybertronian is what the military saw. It’s gonna take a lot of convincin’ for them to give you the okay to stay here."_

“Thank you, Agent Fowler,” Optimus said, walking over to the computer. “We are grateful for your assistance.”

“ _Thank me when it’s over_ ,” Fowler replied. “ _You’re not off the hook yet. We gotta wait and see what the government does after I pull some strings._ ”

“I understand,” Optimus said, and watched as the US agent terminated the call.

“Hey, Nova,” Jack asked, leaning on the railing and looking back at his cousin. “You okay?”

“Sure,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “I’m fine.”

“When a woman on any planet says that, it’s usually a lie,” Ratchet said, standing up from Optimus and putting away his welder.

“I’m fine, really,” she said, getting up from the couch and stretching. “I’m going to bed.”

“Now?” Miko asked in disbelief. “It’s only seven, and it’s Friday! Video Game Smackdown Night!”

“I’ll have to pass tonight, Miko,” Nova replied with a shake of her head. “Maybe next week.”

She descended the stairs and headed for the storage hallway, eventually disappearing into the darkness.

“Maybe next week?” Miko repeated. “She never said that before.”

“Somethin’s up with her,” Bulkhead said at length.

"I will speak to her,” Optimus offered.

“No, no you won’t,” Ratchet refused flatly. “I think I know what it is. You take monitor duty for a few minutes, Optimus. I’ll go talk to her.”

“Don’t you have to fix up the Bots?” Jack asked.

“Their self-repair systems will be enough for now,” replied the medic, a little gruffly. “But Nova Makutan doesn’t have any self-repair systems, does she?”

“Sorry,” Jack said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

Optimus laid a hand on the medic’s shoulder. “I would appreciate your assistance, old friend,” he said quietly.

Ratchet nodded, and with that, he turned and followed the steps of the half-spark into the back.

“The Doc’s in a bit of a temper,” Arcee said with a wry smile.

“He just doesn’t like it when anyone, uh, smaller than us gets hurt,” Bulkhead guessed. “I know when Raf was hurt, he was pretty torn up.”

Bumblebee let out a soft beep as he remembered.

Raf looked around. “Could we, um, could we start that video game tournament now?”

“Yeah!” Miko said, jumping on the couch. “Let’s hear about the Nemesis Prime smackdown while I trash these boys, Bulk!”

The kids began their night of fun, and Arcee, Bee and Bulkhead crowded around to watch, while Optimus stood at the computers, losing himself in deep thought as the lingering pain in his side faded away.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Ratchet, meanwhile, followed the hallway’s path until he came to Nova’s room. It was only a human-sized storage closet, nestled in between Optimus’ and Arcee’s crude habitation suites, but it was a good size for her; she was so small.

It did not take much to keep the half-spark happy, he thought to himself. In the way of material possessions, she had very little, and only needed someone with which to live. She had certainly never felt the need to shut herself up in her room before.

Ratchet knelt down and tapped a knuckle against the door. “Nova?”

“Go away,” came the muffled response from inside. He could hear the stifled tears in her voice.

“I came to check on you,” he explained.

“Ratchet—”

“I’m not leaving until you let me look you over,” he said firmly. “Don’t argue with me.”

There was a pause, then Ratchet saw the door open slowly. The naked bulb in the ceiling above Nova cast a harsh glare on the floor around her, and he could plainly see the tears on her cheeks.

“Happy?” Nova asked.

“No,” he responded, pulling out his scanner. “Come out of there this minute. Primus, you’re making me sound like a human mother.”

The half-spark emerged hesitantly from her room, and held still as Ratchet passed the laser field over her body, once, twice, and shut it off.

“Am I okay?” Nova asked impatiently. “Can I go back now?”

“Physically, you’re fine,” he said. “You have an aggravated area where I assume you were knocked with a cattle prod of some sort, but that’s not why you ran off to your room, is it?”

She glanced sideways. “No.”

“No. I thought not.” Ratchet picked her up, plunked her on the nearest tall box, and folded his arms, staring at her steadily. “Tell me about it.”

Nova twisted her fingers, refusing to look him in the eye. “Tell you about what?”

“Nova, if you act like a child, I’ll treat you like one.”

“Fine,” she said, placing her hands on the box. “I’m mad because I disobeyed Optimus and it almost made someone die.”

“Who?” Ratchet asked. “Agent Fowler?”

“No. Well, yes,” she said, reconsidering. “But it’s not just him. I shouldn’t have gone, and Optimus knew it.”

Ratchet waited patiently, and after a moment of hesitation, Nova began to tell him about the night. She told him about the fight between Optimus and his lookalike, the plan Fowler had to infiltrate the building, and the pain she had felt when her guardian was stabbed. But when Nova began to speak about their encounter with Silas, she stopped. 

“Ratchet … when I stood in front of him, and I realized he had hurt Optimus — that he had hurt me, one more time — I was so … _angry_. I wanted to _kill_ him,” she whispered, as if divulging a horrible secret. “I really, truly did. It would have been so easy, just a knife through his back, or a blaster shot in his head. I wanted to do it, Ratchet. I wanted to do it so _badly_. And you know something?” Her voice rasped. “I don’t think I’ve ever been closer to darkness in my whole life.”

He said nothing, waiting for her to continue.

Nova gripped the edge of the box, and looked up at him. “I was so _close_ , Ratchet. I could feel it. And I was terrified. I’ve…” she swallowed. “I’ve always been afraid that Silas would plant that rage inside me, ever since he took me away, but I never thought that so much evil could come from inside myself.”

The half-spark sighed. “I could have killed him, right then and there."

“Why didn’t you?”

She shook her head slightly. “I don’t know. Something told me not to.”

“Then I’d say you still have a conscience,” Ratchet replied evenly.

“Yes, but it was almost too late,” she rejoined, shrugging. “What if I _had_ killed him? I don’t feel any pity for Silas, and I know I wouldn’t have felt any remorse for killing him, Ratchet. But I also know that killing him wouldn’t have made anything better. I would have had to live with the fact that I killed _two_ people.” She shuddered. “First Coby, and now…”

“You’re being ridiculous,” Ratchet said. “You think none of us have ever gotten angry before? Even Optimus has, and he isn’t someone who gives in to anger easily.”

“That’s just the thing,” she cried in agitation. “I was about to give in, and it was so easy. What if it gets easier from now on? I was raised in darkness, Ratchet — what if I have that darkness inside me, and I can’t get it out?”

Ratchet stared at her.

“So that’s it,” he said finally. “You’re afraid of yourself.”

The half-spark bowed her head. “I’m a monster, born and raised. What makes me any better than Silas?”

Ratchet bristled. “Nova Makutan, I am ashamed of you.”

She blinked, looked up. “What?”

“You heard me. How dare you say that you’re a monster?” Ratchet demanded. “How _dare_ you say that your path in life was already chosen for you, by some senseless madman who wouldn’t know the difference between a sentient human and a clod of dirt?!”

He leaned closer. “What makes you better than Silas? I’ll tell you. You’re better than him because you choose to do what’s right. You have a clear sense of right and wrong, and you choose to act upon it. None of us can ask any more of you.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Even Megatron knows the difference between right and wrong, and he’s the biggest monster of all.”

“You really don’t get it, do you?” Ratchet asked, putting a hand to his face. “You think that’s what we see when we look at you? A monster?”

“Isn’t it?”

“No!” Ratchet fired back. “I for one _refuse_ to believe you’re a monster! And so does Optimus, you know that?!” He looked her straight in the eyes. “Optimus protects you because he _loves_ you. We all do. And do you honestly believe we would care for a monster?”

Nova looked down at the ground. “No. You’re right.”

“Oh, good,” Ratchet said sarcastically. “That’s good. We’ve finally established that you aren’t a monster.”

“But something’s wrong with me, Ratchet,” Nova protested. “I don’t belong here.”

“You’re not the only one,” he responded with a snort. “In case you haven’t noticed, we are an alien robotic species, residing on one of the only planets in the galaxy which has no knowledge of our existence, the inhabitants of which would try to kill us if they could. We don’t belong here any more than you do.”

“But at least the kids have Earth, and you have Cybertron,” Nova said. “You know where you belong — you all belong _somewhere_. I don’t know if I belong anywhere.”

Ratchet sighed.

“To be honest, Nova, I don’t think any of us really belong anywhere,” he said finally. “Not me, not the others, not even the children. But we do belong together, and that’s what you have to remember. You will always have a place here, with us; no matter what anyone says. You belong here.”

Nova looked at him. “I never thought of it that way.”

“No, you didn’t. You were too absorbed in your own self-loathing to know any better.”

She smiled. “I just needed a grumpy medic to straighten me out.”

He sighed. “I expect you’re going to shut yourself up in your room again?”

“No. I’ll come back.”

“Oh, joy.” Ratchet said gruffly. “You can come gripe out here with the rest of us.”

Nova’s smile grew a little softer. “Thanks so much, Ratchet.”

“Anytime."

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Miko growled in frustration as Raf’s yellow car raced ahead of her and blazed over the finish line, and she threw the controller over to Jack with a fake pout as she pulled out her phone. She didn’t mind losing to Raf, not every once in a while. Video games were played for the challenge, if not the victory.

After a few minutes of scrolling through social media, Miko looked up to see Nova quietly come up the stairs and sit in the small padded chair next to Jack’s side of the couch. The boys were too occupied in their race to notice, but Miko peered discreetly over her phone screen at the half-spark, who nestled into the armchair with a look on her face that communicated just how exhausted a girl could be after one day.

Her eyes switching between her phone and the half-spark’s face, Miko watched Nova gradually fall into the first stages of sleep, as the boys’ round suddenly ended.

“Yes!” Jack cried, leaping up from the couch. “Eat it, Raf!”  
Raf smiled good-naturedly, as was the custom. Miko knew he could have beat the pants off Darby a few months ago, but all of them had become pretty evenly matched by now. It made the game far more fun if you didn’t know who exactly was going to win.

Jack’s cry of triumph was summarily shushed by Ratchet, who jerked an irritable thumb at the half-spark before bringing his focus back to the monitors. The other Autobots, except for Bumblebee, had disappeared, probably to restock Energon or something as boring, and Miko saw Jack shrug his shoulders.

“Guess we better do something quiet for a while,” he said in a low voice.

Great. More scrolling.

Bumblebee buzzed in annoyance, disappointed that the racing was over. Miko watched as he attempted to sneak out of the main room before Ratchet could spot him and assign some eternal chore to his duties that night.

“Bumblebee, I need you to help me recalibrate the central systems,” Ratchet said abruptly, just as the scout had inched by. Bumblebee’s wing doors fell as he groan-beeped and followed the medic to the back, exchanging a quick look with Raf along the way.

Bee always got snagged for the jobs. Bulkhead could be a lot more stealthy than the goldenrod if he needed to be, Miko thought smugly as she looked back at her phone.

All these dramatic high school girls online, jeez. They’d probably never seen a sci-fi movie or been to a monster truck rally in their entire life.

Jack looked at his slumbering cousin for a second, and sat down on the couch alongside his other two friends. Raf typed away on his computer, and Miko looked at her phone again before glancing back at the half-spark. She remembered Nova hadn’t really talked about her brother, at least not to the three of them.

Nova’s half-spark bro wasn’t something they were willing to bring up — after what happened —but Miko knew it was better to talk about it with friends than have to be yelled at by Ratchet or talked to by Optimus. The four of them; they were a team of their own. They were the kids; the human factors; the ones who always gave the Bots help when they needed it, and they slagging well needed it sometimes. They should at least be able to help each other.

But how could they even talk about Nova if Nova was sleeping like a grandma in a corner chair?

Miko had an idea.

She opened her texting app on her phone, and set to work making her plan come to life.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

**_Miko Nakadai_ ** _created the group:_ **_AOO1 Group Chat_ **

**_Miko Nakadai_ ** _added_ **_Jack Darby_ ** _and_ **_Rafael Esquivel_ ** _to the group:_ **_AOO1 Group Chat_ **

**Miko Nakadai:** Sup yo?

**Jack Darby:** What is this

**Rafael Esquivel:** It looks like a group chat, Jack

**Jack Darby:** Yeah, @Raf I get it. @Miko, y did u make a group chat all of a sudden??

**Miko Nakadai:** Cuz us Bot-Kids need to get a private group chat, where we can talk about/to Bots and Nova and stuff without people listening in

**Jack Darby:** But the govt taps all our stuff, right?

**Miko Nakadai:** Ya, but the govt knows about the bots already, and Ratch made our phones hacker-proof anyhows.

**Rafael Esquivel:** Did u make this for a specific reason, Miko…?

  
**Miko Nakadai:** Ya, cuz I need 2 talk 2 y’all without wakin’ Nova up

**Jack Darby:** Cool what do u wanna talk about?

**Miko Nakadai:** We need 2 talk about why Nova was w/ da Doc this whole time

**Rafael Esquivel:** Doc is Ratchet, Miko, he doesn’t like it when we use that

**Jack Darby:** Or any nickname…

  
**Miko Nakadai:** Hes not the Bossa me and also OHMYGOSH!! NICKNAMEZ

**_Miko Nakadai_ ** _changed_ **_Miko Nakadai_ ** _’s name to_ **_QueenOfRock429_ **

**Jack Darby:** Queen of rock?

**QueenOfRock429:** Heck yah, cuz I’m the queen, yo, and you all r loserzzz

**Jack Darby:** Wow

**Rafael Esquivel:** It fits her very well, tho

**_QueenOfRock429_ ** _changed_ **_Jack Darby_ ** _’s name to_ **_TeenageLoser_ **

**_QueenOfRock429_ ** _changed_ **_Rafael Esquivel_ ** _’s name to_ **_NerdAlert_ **

**TeenageLoser:** Hurts

**NerdAlert:** I’m good with mine.

**TeenageLoser:** Y is it taking us so long to figure out why we’re on this chat in the first place??

**QueenOfRock429:** Nova’s not been talking 2 us about her bro, and she’s rly beat up about it.

**NerdAlert:** Tru, she’s been avoiding us ever since that thing with Coby happened

**TeenageLoser:** She doesn’t hang out w/ us anymore … its kinda like she’s afraid of hurting us or something

**QueenOfRock429:** Cuz she is, dumdums! Y do u think Ratch had to go yell at her?

**TeenageLoser:** Thought it was cuz he was helping her get over having to fight her nemesis or whatever.

**NerdAlert:** Ya, she rly hates fighting with MECH, but she’s good at it.

**TeenageLoser:** So Miko, u just wanted 2 tell us what we already know?

**QueenOfRock429:** no

**QueenOfRock429:** Its time 4 an intervention, boys

**TeenageLoser:** Okayyy, what should we do?

**NerdAlert:** we gotta talk to her, all 3 of us

**QueenOfRock429:** Ya, cuz we’re like her family & she neeedz usss

**TeenageLoser:** Don’t you think we should wait until she wants to ask 4 help?

**QueenOfRock429:** Dude, if u had somebody die, would you be tellin every1 about it, or waitin around feeling sorry 4 yourself??

**TeenageLoser:** Definitely feeling bad for myself

**QueenOfRock429:** Ya, duh, she’s not gonna ASK us 4 help, we gotta give it 2 her

**NerdAlert:** Right, so how r we gonna get her alone?

**QueenOfRock429:** Chocolate?

**TeenageLoser:** No, she’s too smart 4 that

**NerdAlert:** The bots could help us

**QueenOfRock429:** Oh, yah, I kno Bulk could help get her

**TeenageLoser:** So could Arcee

**QueenOfRock429:** mayB we could get Optimus in!

**NerdAlert:** Well, be4 we get any of the Bots on board, we need to get their comms linked to our chat

**NerdAlert:** Which Ratchet can do

**QueenOfRock429:** the Doc can do anything

**TeenageLoser:** So who’s gonna go ask Ratch about it?

**QueenOfRock429:** Not it

**TeenageLoser:** Not it

**NerdAlert:** Aw, man

**QueenOfRock429:** He likes u da best Raf

**TeenageLoser:** True, tho

**NerdAlert:** Fine, I’ll go ask him

**_NerdAlert_ ** _is offline_

**TeenageLoser:** So what is the actual plan 4 the intervention?

**QueenOfRock429:** I’m thinking we could take her out to the monster truck rally comin this weekend

**TeenageLoser:** Don’t you think Nova would rather do something else, like movie night or go for a soda or something?

**QueenOfRock429:** Dude. NO. Nova’s gotta get AWESOMENESS back in her life again, yo! U think a soda’s gonna do that??

**TeenageLoser:** Depends. When was the last time someone took Nova out for a soda?

**QueenOfRock429:** Fairs.

**TeenageLoser:** Plus, if I had some1 die, I don’t think a super loud monster truck rally would be my idea of a good time.

**QueenOfRock429:** Jeez, I got it. Fine. No rally.

**QueenOfRock429:** We can be just as awesome at some trashy take out food joint, like the one u work at!

**TeenageLoser:** Mature.

**QueenOfRock429:** NEway, when/where u wanna go??

**TeenageLoser:** Let’s ask Raf whr he wants 2 go, and we can take Nova 2Moro nite bcause its a Saturday

**QueenOfRock429** : Hey, look here he comes

**_NerdAlert_ ** _is online_

**TeenageLoser:** What did Ratchet say??

**NerdAlert:** If miko makes me an admin, u can see 4 yourself.

**QueenOfRock429:** U got it good buddy

**_QueenOfRock429_ ** _has made_ **_NerdAlert_ ** _an admin_

**NerdAlert:** Thx

**_NerdAlert_** _added_ ** _Ratchet_** _to the group:_ ** _AOO1_** **_Group_** **_Chat_**

**_Ratchet_ ** _is online_

**Ratchet:** What is it? Rafael told me there was a crisis and I needed to uplink my communication systems to your phones.

**QueenOfRock429:** We need help getting Nova a soda!

**Ratchet:** …

**Ratchet:** I don’t have time for this.

**QueenOfRock429:** Wait, wait, don’t leave!

**Ratchet:** I’m trying to perform very important maintenance procedures here.

**QueenOfRock429:** Could u uplink the other Bots pleeeeeze??

**Ratchet:** Not now.

**QueenOfRock429:** But Nova needs us! You talked 2 her.

**Ratchet:** And you intend to help her using a group chat?

**TeenageLoser:** It’s kind of an idea we had for a while. We kids need to communicate more, so we can keep an eye on each other and on the Bots

**NerdAlert:** It is safer that way.

**Ratchet:** …

**Ratchet:** Fine. I’ll link everyone tomorrow morning, and Rafael can add them to the chat.

**QueenOfRock429:** HA! Yes! I told you you were his fav Raf!

**NerdAlert:** We’re all his favorites, Miko

**TeenageLoser:** Yeah, no we r not.

**QueenOfRock429** : Oh scrap, shes wakin up!!! Quick, look normal

**TeenageLoser** : Do we ever look normal??

**NerdAlert** : Just exit out of the chat and act like nothing’s happened.

**QueenOfRock429** : She cannot know of the PLAN!!! Talk 2 u guys L8R

**_QueenOfRock429_ ** _is offline_

**NerdAlert** : What plan??

**TeenageLoser** : We’ll tell u about it tomorrow. See ya

**_TeenageLoser_ ** _is offline_

**NerdAlert** : Bye

**_NerdAlert_ ** _is offline_

**Ratchet** : Well, that’s typical. Leave me all alone in the chat just when I was dragged into it…

**_Everyone_ ** _is offline_

Miko leaned over the couch and seized the remote, snapping on the TV and slouching casually just in time. Nova sat up with a groan, rubbing her eyes and stretching a little. 

“Tired?” Jack asked, looking sideways at her with a lopsided grin. Raf looked up from his computer with a smile.

Nova blinked at them. “Hm?”

“You conked out about ten minutes ago,” Jack explained. “Ratchet said to send you to bed once you woke up.”

“Mm. Okay,” Nova mumbled sleepily. She got to her feet and shuffled groggily to the stairs, stopping to look back at them.

“Guys?” she said quietly.

“Yeah?” Jack asked, looking up from the TV screen. “What’s up?”

Nova opened her mouth, and a strange look came over her face — _as if she wants to say something really important_ , Miko thought.

But a second later, the look was gone, and the half-spark waved dismissively.

“Goodnight,” she said simply.

“G’night,” the three of them chorused, smiling at her.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gnight. I'm tired!


	9. Jasper, Nevada

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Nova gets to try pizza, for the first time in a while.

**_QueenOfRock429_ ** _is online_

**QueenOfRock429** : GOOD MORNIN!

**TeenageLoser** is online

**NerdAlert** is online

**TeenageLoser** : Miko, do u kno what time it is??

**QueenOfRock429** : Like, 4?

**QueenOfRock429** : No, 4:12

**NerdAlert** : How did u get up this early?

**QueenOfRock429** : Oh, I never went 2 bed

**TeenageLoser** : That’s horrible 4 u. I’m goin back 2 sleep

**QueenOfRock429** : NO

**QueenOfRock429** : WAKE UP JACK

**QueenOfRock429** : JACK

  
  
**QueenOfRock429** : JACK

**QueenOfRock429** : JACK

**QueenOfRock429** : JJJJJJAAAAAACCCCKKKK!!!!!!

**NerdAlert** : She’ll probably keep doing this 4 a long time

**TeenageLoser** : Fine. Im up. Quit givin my phone a seizure

**NerdAlert** : Why’d u wake us up, Miko?

**QueenOfRock429** : Just wanted to tell yall its SATURDAY and we get to take Novster out 4 lunch 2day!

**TeenageLoser** : We know, we talked about it five hours ago, remember?

**QueenOfRock429** : Yeah, the plan is, we go to Mikey’s Pizza joint downtown @ twelve or so, and have lunch, cuz Jack was too sissy 2 go for a monster truck rally

**TeenageLoser** : Ow.

**NerdAlert** : Thats cool, I like pizza

**QueenOfRock429** : You still think Bee will be ok with drivin?

**NerdAlert** : Sure he will, but what if Nova doesn’t want 2 come?

**QueenOfRock429** : We’ll tempt her with free pizza of course

**QueenOfRock429** : Then, we’ll tell her she owes us 4 keepin her secret @ school

**QueenOfRock429** : Bit of friendly blackmail

**NerdAlert** : And if that doesn’t work??

  
**QueenOfRock429** : We kidnap her

**NerdAlert** : Wow.

**TeenageLoser** : Okay sweet im goin back 2 bed now we can kidnap my cousin in the mornin

**QueenOfRock429** : NO

**QueenOfRock429** : Get up!!

**TeenageLoser** : But today is the one day I get to sleep innnnnnn

**QueenOfRock429** : Tough beans princess, get to the base ASAP

**NerdAlert** : How r u going to get to the base, Miko? Aren’t your host parents still asleep??

  
**QueenOfRock429** : I’m already there. Bulkhead picked me up five minutes ago

**TeenageLoser** : Oh, she let me sleep in for five whole minutes, I cant believe she cares so much

**QueenOfRock429** : XP

**TeenageLoser** : Anyway, I cant leave the house cuz my mom would have a conniption x100

**QueenOfRock429** : SO SNEAK OUTTA THE HOUSE DUMMY

**NerdAlert** : Miko, u know June has eyes in the back of her head, right??

**QueenOfRock429** : Ohh, ur right, there’s no way Jack can get out, not with his sorry skills =[

**TeenageLoser** : Wow, thanx

**NerdAlert** : Miko’s right, there’s no way ur gettin out on your own

**TeenageLoser** : U too Raf?? I thought you were the nice one

**NerdAlert** : I am nice! I’m nicely telling u that there’s no way you’ll make it out alive…

  
  
**TeenageLoser** : U kno what?? Challenge accepted

**_TeenageLoser_ ** _is offline_

**NerdAlert** : We got im

**QueenOfRock429** : Totally got

**NerdAlert** : Reverse psychology works every time.

**QueenOfRock429** : U comin to the base?

**NerdAlert** : Oh yeah. I’ve been up for hours. Bee’s comin 2 get me

**QueenOfRock429** : Sweet. C ya in 5.

**NerdAlert** : C u then :)

**_NerdAlert_ ** _is offline_

**_QueenOfRock429_ ** _is offline_

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Nova ran her fingers through her hair one last time before she began to braid it, twisting her brown locks into the familiar pattern just as she did every morning before the small mirror that she had in her room. Ratchet had found it in some of the abandoned human quarters in the silo, along with a few other basic necessities she needed. She counted herself very lucky the silo was so accommodating.

But last night had been rough. Nova had had trouble getting out of a nightmare, and had woken up to the sound of Optimus’ voice. He had been roused by her screams, he said. He wanted to know if there was a problem. She assured him it was fine.

And it was fine. It _was_.

She was startled by a loud thump on her door, and turned away from the mirror, wrapping a band around her braid hurriedly as she opened the door.

“Yes?” she said, peering out at Miko.

“C’mon, dude, it’s already six!”

“What do you mean, already six?” Nova asked. “Why are you even here this early?”

“It’s Saturday,” Mike said, as if such a concept should have been obvious. “We’re always here early on Saturdays.”

“I guess I haven’t been here long enough to know,” Nova said, flicking off the lights and stepping out of her room to talk to her friend. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothin’,” Mike replied, smiling innocently, “Bu-ut … there _is_ a monster movie on the sci-fi channel. Thought you might wanna see it.”

“Really?” Nova asked excitedly. “A monster movie? You — you want me to watch one with you? I thought only you and Bulkhead watched those."

Miko scoffed. “That’s because we’re the only ones who like ‘em, but the boys finally dragged their sorry butts over here, and I thought I’d see if you wanted to watch, too. It’s King Kong versus Godzilla!”  
Nova’s eyes lit up. “That’s one of my favorites.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Miko asked, seizing her friend’s wrist and practically dragging her down the hallway. “Let’s go already, they’re still on the opening credits!”

Nova smiled and let herself be pulled down the hall and into the human corner by the girl, falling onto the couch alongside the boys.

Ratchet looked up at the four of them from the computer monitor nearby, and begrudgingly bid the children a good morning. Arcee was on patrol, Optimus was scouting for Energon in the next state, and the rest of the Autobots were stacking empty Energon cubes in the back. Apparently, Ratchet said, he had been given babysitting duty, but that did not by any means imply that he enjoyed the job.

The TV blared tinny music out of its antiquated speakers as Nova settled into the couch contentedly.

“This is one of my favorite movies of all time,” she announced at the first commercial break.

“Really?” Jack asked. “You watch monster flicks a lot?”

“Oh, yeah,” she replied. “Dad and I had all the Godzilla movies. My favorites were probably the old ones, pre-nineties. Godzilla: Final Wars was good, too, because it had a lot of monsters in it. And of course, you can’t beat the first one, from 1954. That’s where the whole metaphor started. Godzilla was a sort of cultural response to the nuclear bomb the US dropped on Japan at the end of World War Two.”

Miko laughed. “Nerd alert!”

“I might need a nerd,” Raf said, pushing up his glasses. “I never watched Godzilla before. What’s happening?”

Nova launched into a lively explanation of the giant lizard and his origins while keeping one eye on the TV, and occasionally interrupted herself to shout something at the characters in the movie. Raf and Jack listened, amused and enraptured, to the half-spark, and laughed along with her as she laid out the basics of Godzilla lore. In a few short minutes, the depressed and hopeless mourner had been completely transformed into a child who was delighted by rubber suits and tiny buildings.

Miko looked up at the radiant face of the half-spark, and smiled quietly to herself.

_Oh yeah. This was a great idea._

Midway through the movie, when Nova had turned her attention back to the screen, Miko pulled out her phone and texted Raf.

**_QueenOfRock429_ ** _is online_

**QueenOfRock429** : Raf, good buddy!

**_NerdAlert_ ** _is online_

**NerdAlert** : What’s up?

**QueenOfRock429** : Hey, now that Nova’s distracted, how bout gettin the other Autobots on this chat

**NerdAlert** : Huh?

**QueenOfRock429** : Get em in the chat! Didn’t Ratchet teach you how to do it this mornin??

**NerdAlert** : Oh, sure, hang on

**_NerdAlert_** _added_ ** _Bumblebee_** _,_ ** _Arcee_** _, and_ ** _Bulkhead_** _to the group:_ ** _AOO1_** **_Group_** **_Chat_**

**_Arcee_ ** _is online_

**_Bumblebee_ ** _is online_

**QueenOfRock429** : OMYGOURD it’s a AUTOBOT GROUP CHAT BOIII

**QueenOfRock429** : U better get ready for sum awesome. 

**Arcee** : What is this?

**Bumblebee** : It looks like some sort of communication forum.

**QueenOfRock429** : It’s a group chat where we can bond and do awesome stuff together, and also we don’t even need to use our phones for calling. Like a secret code room :D

**_Ratchet_ ** _is online_

**Ratchet** : Oh, no. You added everyone else??

**NerdAlert** : Yeah, that was kinda the idea.

**Ratchet** : There is no way I will be a part of this.

**QueenOfRock429** : Wait, wait! Don’t leave!

**Ratchet** : Leaving.

**_Ratchet_ ** _has left the chat_

**QueenOfRock429** : Ur not gettin away that easy, doc >:}

**_Ratchet_ ** _has been added to the chat (6:33)_

**Ratchet** : What?!

**_Ratchet_ ** _has left the chat (6:33)_

**_Ratchet_ ** _has been added to the chat (6:34)_

**_Ratchet_ ** _has left the chat (6:34)_

**_Ratchet_ ** _has been added to the chat (6:35)_

**Ratchet** : WHY CAN’T I LEAVE?

**QueenOfRock429** : Hehehe! XD

**Ratchet** : Miko so help me I will bridge you back to Japan in a straitjacket

**QueenOfRock429** : I HAZ DA POWAAA!

**Arcee** : I don’t understand what’s going on here.

**Bumblebee** : We’re all trying to torture Ratchet apparently.

**NerdAlert** : No, we’re just trying 2 make the team closer

**Ratchet** : Well, you’re certainly doing a great job. I want to throw a wrench at everyone right now

**_TeenageLoser_ ** _is online_

**TeenageLoser** : U guys, Nova’s not paying attn right now, but don’t u think she’ll notice we haven’t been talking 2 her for over ten minutes??

**QueenOfRock429** : Heck no, look @ her, she’s watchin’ Kong get his butt whupped by Godzilla

**NerdAlert** : Yeah, we’re safe 4 now, she’s occupied

**QueenOfRock429** : Like a 3 year old kid with a bowl of lucky charms … *sinister laughter*

**Arcee** : I don’t understand, who are we talking to??

**QueenOfRock429** : It’s us, the kids!

**Bumblebee** : Then who is who??

**NerdAlert** : Raf

**TeenageLoser** : Jack

**Ratchet** : Ratchet

**QueenOfRock429** : I am the magnificent queen of rock herself

**Arcee** : I assume that’s Miko. And why are we here?

**_Bulkhead_ ** _is online_

**Bulkhead** : Hey guys, what’s up?

**QueenOfRock429** : HEY Bulk!!!!

**Bulkhead** : Raf, thanks for finally gettin me on the chat!

**NerdAlert** : Ur welcome!

**Arcee** : Wait, you knew about this?

**Bulkhead** : Yeah, Miko couldn’t stop talking about it all the way here. Apparently, it’s a plot to kidnap Nova and take her out for a soda.

**TeenageLoser** : Well, the kidnapping was supposed to be a last resort…

**Bumblebee** : That sounds super fun!

**Ratchet** : Before anyone kidnaps anyone, let me off this chat.

**QueenOfRock429** : Nope

**Ratchet** : Miko, I swear to Primus

**QueenOfRock429** : You aint neva leaving, grumpy gramps

**QueenOfRock429** : Hey wait …

**_QueenOfRock429_ ** _changed_ **_Ratchet_ ** _’s name to_ **_Gramps_ **

**Gramps:** I hate you

**QueenOfRock429:** ehehehe >:]

**NerdAlert** : This could take a while.

**Bumblebee** : Raf! U guys watching a movie??

**NerdAlert** : Hi Bee! Yeah, we’re watchin a Godzilla movie

**TeenageLoser** : Theres a big ape fighting a lizard and Nova loves it

**Bulkhead** : You’re watching KKvG without me??

**QueenOfRock429** : Sorry Bulk :( we can watch it tomorrow!! OOOO WE COULD HAVE A MONSTER MOVIE MARATHON

**NerdAlert** : We could make popcorn!

**Bulkhead** : Which one would we watch first??

  
**QueenOfRock429** : War of the Gargantuas, duh!

**Gramps** : Miko, stop being cute with your guardian and let me off this chat for Primus’ sake

**QueenOfRock429** : Nope!

**Gramps** : MIKO! I am trying to do work

**Arcee** : What work? Its Saturday and Fowler doesn’t come by unless there’s a problem

**Bumblebee** : Yeah, it’s been pretty boring 2day, Gramps

**Gramps** : I will wrench you no matter what Optimus says if you call me that again

**Arcee** : Why isn’t Optimus on this chat?? Or Nova?

**QueenOfRock429** : We don’t hav Nova bc she doesn’t hav a phone

**TeenageLoser** : And we don’t have Optimus bc … you know

**NerdAlert** : He’s the leader, and stuff

**TeenageLoser** : we didn’t wanna bother him

**Gramps** : And you were fine with bothering me?

**QueenOfRock429** : Yez

**TeenageLoser** : Yeah a little

**Gramps** : Add him to the chat.

**TeenageLoser** : You’re sure he won’t mind??

**Gramps** : Oh, he will. But if I have to suffer through this torture, so does he.

**QueenOfRock429** : YEAH LETS DO IT

**TeenageLoser** : DO it Raf!

**NerdAlert** : Okay then

**_NerdAlert_** _added_ ** _Optimus_** **_Prime_** _to the group:_ ** _AOO1_** **_Group_** **_Chat_**

**_Optimus_** **_Prime_** _is online_

**NerdAlert** : Hi, Optimus!

**Optimus** **Prime** : Hello.

**Optimus Prime:** Am I on a human group chat? How did you obtain this hailing frequency?

**NerdAlert** : haha, Ratchet gave it to me!

**Optimus** **Prime** : NerdAlert, I do not believe we have been acquainted.

**NerdAlert** : Oh, sorry! It’s me Raf!

**Optimus** **Prime** : Hello, Rafael. I am unaware as to why I have been invited to a group chat. What is happening?

**NerdAlert** : This is the team. Everyone, sound off 4 Optimus.

**QueenOfRock429** : Miko

**TeenageLoser** : Jack

**Arcee** : Arcee

**Bumblebee** : Bumblebee

**Bulkhead** : Bulkhead here

**Optimus** **Prime** : I assume the introduction of this communication method is why I have not heard from anyone?

**Bulkhead** : Pretty much.

**Optimus Prime:** What is the purpose of this?

**Bumblebee** : The kids thought it was a good idea. A group chat can help us communicate better if we’re out of commlink range and stuff. Plus, there’s no audio, so nobody can hear cars talking or anything while we’re texting back and forth.

**Arcee** : That does help; I’m stuck in traffic right now, and if I tried to talk to all of you at once I think it would draw attention.

**Bumblebee** : It’ll help us keep a low profile.

**Optimus** **Prime** : I see. My thanks to the children, for introducing us to this system. I appreciate your action, Raf.

**NerdAlert** : ^w^ Optimus Prime just thanked me!!

**Gramps** : I’ve been at the commlinks for a while, and I never heard you report in, Optimus. Is something wrong?

**Optimus** **Prime** : …

**Gramps** : Optimus?

**Optimus** **Prime** : I do not understand. Who is “Gramps”?

**QueenOfRock429** : AHAHHAAHA I’m dying@!!FTBUVN#

**TeenageLoser** : 34985jfm849ed

**QueenOfRock429** : Jack’s dying!!!!!

**Arcee** : That’s actually hilarious, don’t make me laugh in public guys

**NerdAlert** : Nova looks a little concerned that two of us started laughing for no reason. 

**TeenageLoser** : That’s Ratchet’s username, Optimus.

**Optimus** **Prime** : And he has chosen … Gramps?

**Bulkhead** : HAHA Oh Primus that’s some funny slag

**Bumblebee** : U said it big guy XD

**Gramps** : Funny. So funny.

**Optimus** **Prime** : I take it you were an unwilling accomplice to this enterprise, Ratchet?

**Gramps** : That’s putting it nicely.

**QueenOfRock429** : When Optimus types you can literally hear him speaking

**Arcee** : Primes are like that.

**NerdAlert** : Miko, y don’t u give the other Bots goofy usernames, so Ratchet won’t have to b the only 1??

**Bulkhead** : Aww, that’s so sweet.

**Bumblebee** : Raf’s one in a million

**QueenOfRock429** : He’s a freakin angel

**Gramps** : And the rest of you are something I’m probably not allowed to type in this chat

**Optimus** **Prime** : Thank you for your discretion, Ratchet.

**QueenOfRock429** : Okay I got sum!

**_QueenOfRock429_ ** _changed_ **_Bulkhead_ ** _’s name to_ **_BulkSmash_ **

**_QueenOfRock429_ ** _changed_ **_Bumblebee_ ** _’s name to_ **_FastnFurious_ **

**_QueenOfRock429_ ** _changed_ **_Optimus Prime_ ** _’s name to_ **_GlowyChestEpicSlagger_ **

**_QueenOfRock429_ ** _changed_ **_Arcee_ ** _’s name to_ **_MortalKombat_ **

**Gramps** : Where do you come up with these?

**FastnFurious** : OMP I love ittt!!!!!

**BulkSmash** : That’s definitely Bee

**MortalKombat** : Thanks, kid, it fits :)

**TeenageLoser** : Good names, Miko

**GlowyChestEpicSlagger** : I would prefer an alternate designation, Miko.

**QueenOfRock429** : Yeah, I knew u would. XD

**_QueenOfRock429_ ** _changed_ **_GlowyChestEpicSlagger_ ** _’s name to_ **_BossBot_ **

**BossBot** : Thank you.

**TeenageLoser** : Oh, scrap, guys

**NerdAlert** : What happened?

**MortalKombat** : What is it, Jack?

**TeenageLoser** : My mom’s calling me

**QueenOfRock429** : Oh, shoot, I told u son!!!

**TeenageLoser** : I gotta answer it

**_TeenageLoser_ ** _is offline_

**QueenOfRock429** : Well, he’s dead

**NerdAlert** : Very dead

**MortalKombat** : Why, what happened?

**NerdAlert** : His mom’s calling because he snuck out of the house this morning and rode to the base without telling her.

**MortalKombat** : Why would he do that?!

**Gramps** : He has a death wish.

**MortalKombat** : Does he need backup?

**FastnFurious** : Maybe. I can hear his mom screaming and he doesn’t even have the phone on speaker.

**BossBot** : Jack should not have left home without notifying his mother.

**Gramps** : Optimus is right, June’s going to blame us as soon as look at us

**FastnFurious** : Best to just let this run its course.

**QueenOfRock429** : OOOHH SNAP!!

**MortalKombat** : What? What happened??

**QueenOfRock429** : King Kong just tried to stuff a tree down Godzilla’s cakehole

**QueenOfRock429** : So Godzilla torched im!!

**MortalKombat** : Could we focus on the problem here?

**QueenOfRock429** : What problem? June will ground Jack for a week and then everything will be back to normal.

**NerdAlert** : Or she might kill him

**QueenOfRock429** : Maybe

**BulkSmash** : Look, I know yall are being funny, but I’m scared as slag to mess with June.

**FastnFurious** : Ditto.

**MortalKombat** : To be fair, though, she’s the only responsible adult among us

**Gramps** : Optimus being the glaring exception

**BulkSmash** : True

**_TeenageLoser_ ** _is online_

**TeenageLoser** : Okay, that was messed up

**QueenOfRock429** : What happened, TL?

**TeenageLoser** : Oh, I’m dead. When I get home I have to clean the entire house from top to bottom if I ever want to see any of you again

**NerdAlert** : Even the garage?

**TeenageLoser** : Especially that :(

**QueenOfRock429** : You shouldn’t have snuck out

**TeenageLoser** : YOU WERE THE ONE WHO TOLD ME TO SNEAK OUT IN THE FIRST PLACE

**QueenOfRock429** : You shouldn’t have taken my advice then dumdum :}

**MortalKombat** : All right, I have to go. My patrol’s almost up. I’ll see you all in a few minutes.

**TeenageLoser** : Bye, Arcee

**QueenOfRock429** : Bye Felicia

**_MortalKombat_ ** _is offline_

**BossBot** : Who is Felicia?

**Gramps** : Can I please be rid of this torture now??

**QueenOfRock429** : No, Ratch, no one can leave, cuz it’s a team bonding thing and we love each other so much we want to talk like this all the time :]

**TeenageLoser** : Who knows? Maybe you’ll learn to like it?

**Gramps** : Maybe I’ll have the Cybertronian equivalent of a fatal heart attack and finally be allowed to leave this chat.

**BulkSmash** : Loosen up, doc, we’re having fun!!

**Gramps** : MY NAME IS NOT DOC

**QueenOfRock429** : Ok boomer

**Gramps** : MIKO

**TeenageLoser** : Hey, Raf, ur kinda quiet over ther, whats goin on?

**NerdAlert** : I really like this movie

**TeenageLoser** : U mean u like 2 watch two horrible rubber suits duking it out over a trashy model city??

**QueenOfRock429** : HEY! It is NOT trashy!!

**NerdAlert** : I do like it, and also I’m trying to figure out a way to get Nova on this chat

**BossBot** : Nova has not been allowed on this chat?

**NerdAlert** : Well, no, not so far, because we’re supposed to be discussing lunch plans for her

**TeenageLoser** : Kind of like a little surprise party

**NerdAlert** : But later we might want 2 add her, so I’m trying to see if her armor can connect 2 our chat if I throw together some stuff

**Gramps** : I’ll help you, Rafael

**NerdAlert** : Thanks Ratchet :D

**Gramps** : Thanks nothing. If I’m stuck in this chat, so is she.

**_NerdAlert_ ** _is offline_

**TeenageLoser:** Guys, the movie’s almost over, what do we do?

**QueenOfRock429** : Leave the chat and act as if we haven’t been virtually talking 2 each other the whole time.

**TeenageLoser** : WAIT! Bumblebee, can you give us a ride later, to go out for lunch??

**FastnFurious** : Sure thing, Jack!

**TeenageLoser** : A great part about this chat is that we finally understand what Bee’s sayin

**QueenOfRock429** : ^ true.

**BulkSmash** : Right, Bee and I are pretty much finished back here, later guys

**FastnFurious** : C u soon!

**_BulkSmash_ ** _is offline_

**_FastnFurious_ ** _is offline_

**BossBot** : I will see you all shortly.

**_BossBot_ ** _is offline_

**Gramps** : I’ll leave too. Unlike some of you, I have actual work to do

**QueenOfRock429** : THaNkQ Gramps! C:

**Gramps** : Yeah, yeah don’t mention it.

**_Gramps_ ** _is offline_

**QueenOfRock429** : oh, scrap, Novas lookin at us get off

**_Everyone_ ** _is offline_

Nova sighed and stretched her arms, getting up from the couch with a smile.

“That was really fun,” she said to Miko. “Thanks so much, guys.”

“What are you thanking us for?” Miko asked. “You can watch stuff with us anytime.”

Raf agreed. “Yeah, Nova, you’re supposed to hang out with us. We like you a lot.”

Nova beamed. “Thanks, Raf.” She looked at Jack skeptically. “Jack, what’s the matter? You look like you’re going to throw up.”

“I pretty much got my butt handed to me by my own mom,” he replied, rubbing his face. “I wasn’t supposed to come here without telling her, and I might have snuck out this morning.”

Miko jumped to her feet. “You know what would make you feel better?”

Jack shook his head. “What?”

  
“Lunch,” Miko said, greeting the two Autobots who had just entered the room. “Hey Bee! Hey Bulk!”

  
Bumblebee buzzed a greeting, and Bulkhead waved. “How was the movie?”

“It was amazing,” Nova replied.

“Do you want to come to lunch with us, Nova?” Raf asked from his laptop. “We could go get pizza. Bumblebee could drive us.”

Bumblebee buzzed in agreement, his door-wings bobbing in excitement.

“But it’s only eight o clock,” Nova said. “Lunch isn’t until twelve.”

“We’ll make it a brunch then,” Miko replied, waving her hand dismissively. “The point is, I’m hungry!”

“Me too,” Raf said.

Jack shrugged. “Yeah, I could go for something to eat.”

“How about it, Nova?” Miko asked, putting her hands on her hips. “You wanna go have some fun?”

“You don’t have a choice,” Ratchet told Nova from the computer. “I’ve heard they’ll kidnap you if they get the chance.”

Nova smiled. “Of course I’ll go. I haven’t gone out for food in a long time.”

“All right!” Miko said excitedly, pointing at Bumblebee. “Fire up those engines, Bee, cause we’re going on a food trip!”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“Mikey’s?” Nova asked, pressing her face against the glass of Bumblebee’s window. “This is the pizza place? Does Nevada have good pizza?”

“It does here,” Miko said from the passenger seat. Jack sat beside her, his idle hands “driving” Bumblebee, who beeped in excitement as he swept the steering wheel to the side and they easily slid into the parking lot.

“Weird that a pizza place is open this early,” Nova said, peering into the bright windows of the restaurant skeptically.

“Mikey’s is open all the time,” Raf said, unbuckling his seatbelt and cracking open the door. “They’ve even got cinnamon rolls and coffee for breakfast.”

“It’s not really a pizza joint. It’s like a pizza-slash-cafe-slash-diner, slash whatever the heck you want joint,” Miko said, hopping out of the car and leaning on Bumblebee’s hood lightly. “What you want, Bee, a soda?”

The car buzzed happily, which Nova understood to be a joking request for a beer.

“Something tells me Bee isn’t old enough for that,” Raf smiled.

“We can sit out outside so Bee won’t get lonely,” Miko said, pointing to the abandoned metal tables outside the restaurant. “Nobody’s here to listen in on us talking to a car.”

“I’m fine with that,” Nova said. She nudged Jack as they pushed open the glass doors and walked into the diner. “Jack, you okay? You’ve barely said anything.”

“I’m just thinking about how much work I’ve got waiting for me at home,” he said with a sigh. “Mom’s gonna kill me for sneaking out.”

Nova nodded. She had heard about his escape from his house early that morning. “I tried to get out once when she had me over, the other night, and I thought for sure she was going to kill me.”

“Hey, what do you guys want?” Miko asked from the counter.

“Who’s paying for it?” Nova asked in sudden concern. “I didn’t think about bringing money of my own.”

“Where would you’ve gotten it?” Jack asked. “Miko and I got it covered.”

Nova shook her head. “Oh, no. No, I can’t take your money.”

“You’re not taking our money,” Jack scoffed. “We’re giving you pizza.”

Miko turned form the counter again. “Yo! Teenage loser! What do you want?”

“Slice of pepperoni with a Coke, please,” Jack said, coming alongside her and smiling at the cashier. “What’ll you have, Nova?”

“Um…” Nova stared at the menu posted above the counter. “Could I have a slice of cheese with a water?”

“Sure thing, honey,” the cashier said, adjusting her apron as she rang up their total.

The pizza place was pleasant, the walls and floor made of a nice cherry colored wood and fitted with green and red trim. The walls were hung with varied license plates, pictures of famous singers, sports figures, embroidered gifts, and of course, the occasional TV set dialed to the sports channel. The strings of soft golden lights hung in the rafters made the place feel very warm and homelike, and Nova found herself slipping back into a childish reverie as she looked around herself, remembering the times she had eaten in restaurants like this one.

Miko handed her share of the cash to Jack and escorted Nova and Raf to the door, where they walked out onto the patio and picked a table to share. The early morning was slightly chilly, but Nova had brought her sweater, and Nevada was never overly cold anyway.

“So, how’ve you been?” Miko asked, throwing herself easily into a chair and folding her hands behind her neck. “Tough about your brother.”

“Miko!” Raf said, shocked.

“What?” Miko shrugged. “Just wanna get it out there.”

“It’s fine, Raf,” Nova said, pulling out a seat as Bumblebee rolled into a parking space beside the patio. “I’m glad you guys are okay with asking me about it. I thought you were going to ignore me, to be honest.”

“Why’d you think that?” Raf asked, pushing his glasses up on his nose.

“Well, because,” Nova said, shrugging as if it were obvious. “I — I guess I was afraid I’d scare you all away.”

“Why would we be scared away?" Miko asked.

“Because — because I’m an alarmingly unnatural half-alien freak who killed her brother less than a week ago,” Nova replied. “I didn’t think you’d be excited to watch movies or go out to eat pizza with me, for goodness sake.”

Miko scoffed. “We love doing stuff with you, Novster. You’re part of the family now, bro.”

“Yeah,” Raf agreed. “We’ve been with the Autobots longer than you have, and we’ve seen a lot of crazy stuff in the past few months. Getting to know someone else who’s a kid like us, who we can talk to, is really kind of relieving.”

“Really?” Nova asked. “You’re glad to have me?”

“Sure,” Raf said. “You’re great at listening to all of us, you’re super nice, and you like a lot of the same things we do.”

“Kaiju, for one,” Miko added. “Plus, you’re Jack’s cousin, which means you’ve gotta be at least semi-great.”

“And you’re not afraid to help us out,” smiled Raf. “You’ve saved our lives.”

“Yeah,” Miko said. “Helping us get out of the Shadowzone, and going out there and fighting Cons every day, that’s what matters to us; not your backstory, although that _is_ kinda cool. I mean,” she leaned in a little. “…do you actually drink Energon?”

Nova laughed. Everyone smiled.

“I can drink it,” she said. “But I’d rather take the injections. Energon doesn’t taste very good.”

Bumblebee buzzed in agreement.

“Bee thinks wartime rations taste horrible,” Raf grinned. “He says you should try real Energon.”

“Hey guys,” Jack said, coming to join them and sliding out a chair. “The lady says the pizzas won’t be done for a while, so we’ve got to wait.”

“Cool,” Miko said, leaning back and putting her feet up on the table. “We can talk about stuff until then.”

“What’d I miss?” Jack asked his cousin, who shrugged.

“Apparently you guys aren’t scared of me, and Energon tastes bad.”

“Well, both of those are true,” he agreed.

“You know, it’s really a good thing you didn’t get spotted by anybody from school,” Miko said, pushing her chair back on its legs. “Your little dust-up with Vince is still being talked about.”

“I thought Raf erased the videos,” Nova said, looking at the littlest member of their group.

Raf pushed up his glasses apologetically. “I did, but people still remember it. I think erasing the footage made people talk about it more — you know, like people talk about what’s inside Area 51 even though there’s no evidence for it.”

“We basically live in Area 51,” Jack muttered quietly, staring up at the sky.

“I know!” Miko said excitedly, pushing her chair down with a _bang_. “Isn’t it the most awesomething ever? The outpost is the greatest thing since — since rock music! And we’re the only four kids in the _entire world_ who’re in on it! How cool is that?”

They looked around at each other.

“It is pretty cool,” Raf smiled.

“I do have a question,” Nova said. “How did the three of you get into the Autobot base to begin with?”

Miko laughed and rubbed her hands together. “Oh, we’ll tell ya.”

She launched into the story, with all the embellishments and excitement inherent to one of Miko’s tales, and Nova listened with her arms folded on the table, smiling at the right moments and frowning in contemplation at others.

After a little while, Raf pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to his mom, telling her where they were and what he was doing. His mom was not as worried about her son as June was, because Mrs. Esquivel had many children, but she wanted to know where Rafael was in the event of an emergency, and he was a dutiful son.

The waitress came out of the restaurant a few minutes later, carrying their pizza in her hands.

“Here you go, sugar,” she said brightly as she gave each of them their plates and drinks.

They thanked her, and once she’d left they began to eat.

Nova looked at her pizza suspiciously for a moment, and then picked up the slice and took a bite. Immediately, her face brightened, and she set to devouring it with enthusiasm.

“This is really good!” Nova said between mouthfuls.

“Didn’t I tell you?” Miko grinned, taking a swig of her soda. “Course, Jack and Raf are the lucky ones; they got to live in the US their whole life and go here whenever they wanted.”

"If you think my mom brought me here when I was growing up,” Jack scoffed, shaking his head. “You’re crazy.”

“What are you doing, Raf?” Nova asked, watching the boy text.

“Texting my mom,” he said, showing her the screen.

“Texting?” The half-spark looked closer. “What’s that?”

Raf looked a little surprised. “Well, it’s a short message you can send to someone else who has your phone number.”

“Oh,” Nova said. “So you and your mom are sending each other words?”

“Basically, yeah,” Miko added. “You don’t know about texting, Novster?”

“Well, no, I don’t remember having that growing up.”

“How can you not remember?” Miko asked, pulling out her phone. “Didn’t your parents have phones?”

“Yes,” Nova said. “But I never used them. I never even looked at them much. Plus, most of the time, my parents would call someone, or send them an email from a computer. They didn’t really text.”

“Well, I guess that’s understandable,” Raf said, putting his phone away. “Texting became popular around the time you were taken.”

“We should put her in the group chat,” Jack suggested, putting down his soda. “Teach her to text.”

“We can, but I have to find a way to connect her,” Raf replied, looking at Nova. “I’d have to hook up your helmet to a chat room.”

She blinked at him. “How would you do that?”

“Well…” he pushed up his glasses and pulled his computer out of his backpack. “Could I see your helmet for a second?”

“Sure,” Nova replied. She ducked under the table and formed her helmet, passing it to Raf discreetly. He put it on the bench next to him and pulled out a cable, connecting his computer to the port on the side of her headpiece.

“I didn’t know her helmet had a USB port,” Jack said.

“It’s actually more of a versatile outlet,” Raf explained, typing on his computer keyboard furiously. “It detects electrical current and forms a port to allow access to the cable. Ratchet thinks this’s why she’s compatible with a cortical psychic patch.” He shrugged. “It’s really super complex, and I’ve never seen anything like it before, but hey, it’s alien tech.”

“Truth,” Miko said, raising her cup of soda.

“What else happened to you all before I came to the base?” Nova asked Jack, smiling a little. “I’ve heard some of it from Miko, but I get the feeling a lot of crazy things happened without me.”

Bumblebee buzzed rapidly from the parking space, and Nova looked at him.

“Bee says to tell me the Scraplet story.”

Jack groaned. “Oh, don’t even get me started. What happened was — well, it was this infestation of these weird little robots who—”

“Wait, Jack, you gotta start from the beginning!” Miko cut in. “It started when Bulkhead and Bumblebee found that weird pod under the ice and brought it home.”

“Let’s just say everyone was lucky that Saturday,” Jack grinned.

“No!” Miko slapped his arm. “Tell her the story!”

They bantered like this for a while, telling her the story of how the Autobots had to be rid of the metal-devouring pests from another age, and Bumblebee chimed in with the occasional detail while Raf worked and listened. They talked together for hours, their pizza nearly forgotten, joking and wisecracking and laughing, discussing the whole entire world for a long, long time.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To make it perfectly clear, they did not forget to eat their pizza. They NEARLY forgot to eat their pizza. Huge difference.


	10. Nova Learns to Text

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title says it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hey, hey, guess who's still alive!  
> I missed you guys; I really did. Here's another chapter, since I finally got time for it after homework and all. I love my writing class so much, the professor is very good at teaching, and the material is epic! My other classes, not so much, but I'm just thankful to be going to college at all come to think of it!
> 
> Have an awesome day everyone! I'll be sure to update my stuff more as I get time!
> 
> Annnnnd nowwwww..... our EPIGRAPH   
> (yay!)
> 
> "There was never yet an uninteresting life. Such a thing is an impossibility. Inside of the dullest exterior there is a drama, a comedy, and a tragedy."  
> \--Mark Twain

“Nova.”

“Mm.”

“Nova, wake up.”

Nova opened her eyes slowly, to see three shining faces grinning back at her.

“Dude, get up,” Miko said, bending over to peer into Nova’s eyes. “Raf’s got something to show ya.”

Nova sat up on the couch, rubbing her eyes. She remembered spending the whole day with the kids, and then coming back to the base for a long nap as they began a video game marathon. The half-spark had been suspiciously tired lately. More so than usual.

“What time is it?” Nova asked, stretching.

“Eleven,” Jack said, his eyes fixed on the video game before him. “Raf’s been working on your helmet for a while.”

“What is it with you three and late bedtimes?” Nova asked, taking the helmet from the boy.

Miko scoffed. “We usually stay up until one.”

“You have got to be kidding me.”

“Put it on,” Raf urged, his face shining. “I’ve uploaded lots of things.”

Nova locked her helmet into place, and her eyes widened at the sudden activity on her screen.

“Camera, GPS, BotChat, Tunez, Netflix?” Nova frowned. “What’s Netflix?”

“It’s an app that lets you watch movies and TV, as long as you have internet access,” Raf said. “Ratchet helped me rig it so that you can log on anytime with June’s password.”

“Wow,” Nova said, opening the app and scrolling through a few options. “Are all these movies good?”

Miko scoffed. “Heck, no,” she said. “Actually, most of them are dumb.”

“I liked Agents of SHIELD,” Jack commented from the other end of the couch. “And the Indiana Jones movies are pretty cool.”

“The Twilight Zone is one of my favorites,” Raf smiled, pushing up his glasses.

“Netflix sucks,” Miko replied. “It took off all the good shows that used to be on there.”

“She’s just sore about Bionicles and Digimon,” Jack explained.

“They were great shows!”

“So, how do I use this?” Nova asked, blinking at the various screens she saw pop up.

“Well, it’s all linked to your internal commands, so you can essentially voice-activate anything,” Raf said. “But the suit’s also coordinated with this touchpad I put on your forearm, so you can act like you’re tapping on your wrist, and it will move things around. When you’re typing in words, a digital keyboard will project onto your wrist.”

“Cool,” Nova said, sliding two fingers across her forearm as she scrolled through the apps. “So, what are all these for?”

“The GPS is basically a map,” Raf smiled. “If you’re ever separated from the group or don’t know where you are, you can find your way around.”

“Pretty sure the GPS doesn’t work outside of Earth, though,” Jack said.

“Actually, Ratchet helped upload a few maps of Cybertron, in case you ever go there and get lost,” Raf said. “Not sure how much help that will be.”

“Yeah, it’s not like any of us except Jack will be lucky enough to go to Cybertron,” Miko sighed.

“The rest of the apps are kind of self-explanatory,” continued Raf, pushing up his glasses again. “Camera takes pictures with the lens I rigged on the side of your helmet. Tunez is a program I made myself, not to brag.”

Nova opened the app. “What is it?”

“It’s a downloaded, recorded, and backed up collection of every song I could find. I got them off of YouTube, iTunes, Spotify, and several other places,” Raf replied. “It doesn’t have everything, but there’s a good amount on there, and every single song works offline, whether you’re in space or in an Apple store.”

“Does it have Switchfoot?” Nova asked, scrolling through the songs.

“Yeah, I think so,” Raf said. “And lots of other things.”

“Awesome.”

“Tell her about BotChat, Raf,” Jack suggested from the other end of the couch.

“It’s probably better to show her,” Raf said. “Plus, if we keep talking out loud, we might wake up the Bots.”

“Too late,” said a tired voice.

Miko flopped over the couch to glare at the new arrival. “Uh-oh, it’s the Ratch-man.”

“Shouldn’t you three be at home?” Ratchet asked, heaving a disgruntled sigh at the nickname.

“I’m about to go,” Jack said. “Mom said to be back by eleven thirty. I’m gonna get busted twice in one day if I don’t hurry.”

“You’re biking back?” Nova asked. “In the dark?”

“Yeah,” the boy replied. “Arcee and the others are in recharge, and I know my way around.”

“I think the streets of Jasper at night are a bit dangerous for children your age,” Ratchet interrupted firmly. “I’ll Groundbridge you three home.”

“Aww,” Miko groaned. “Do we have to go?”

“I don’t intend to get in any trouble with your parents or caretakers tonight,” Ratchet said, a bit sharply. “Short of an emergency or express permission from your adults, you can’t stay overnight. That’s the rule.”

Miko heaved a sigh and gathered up her things. “Fine.”

Raf closed his laptop and nodded at Nova.

“Open the app, type in some sentences and talk to us on the chat,” he said. “It’s basically texting, you can figure it out.”

“Yeah,” Nova said absently, distracted by the things in her screen. “Bye, you guys.”

They said their goodbyes, and soon the children had been safely transported within walking distance of their homes.

Ratchet looked at the half-spark once the bridge had closed. She was quiet, absorbed in the new information she had been gifted with. Bright blue displays flashed in her visor, like the unsteady glimmering of leaves in the sunlight.

“I take it you enjoyed yourself today,” he remarked, regaining her attention.

Nova deactivated her helmet and looked at him, a small smile on her face.

“Yes,” she said simply. “It was the nicest day I’ve had in a long while.”

Ratchet nodded, looking at her closely. “I am glad you’ve found children your own age to … associate with. I’m sure spending time with your own people will be very good for you.”

She hummed in agreement, her eyes rather unfocused.

Ratchet cleared his throat. “Er… well, I’ll be in the back if you need anything.”

He began to walk away, but a word from her mouth stopped him.

“Ratchet?”

He turned. “Yes?”

Nova twisted her body over the top of the couch to look back at him. “Ratchet, what do you think the odds are that you Cybertronians would be found by the only three children — out of billions — who could instantly accept you for who you are?”

Ratchet thought for a moment. “Fairly slim.”

“And what are the odds that I — the only half-spark in the entire world — would happen to find the very few people on this planet who could save my life? The people I needed the most?”

“Slimmer still.”

“Right?” Nova smiled, leaning back on the couch. “Isn’t it crazy? The odds have never been in our favor.”

“I suppose they haven’t,” Ratchet said tiredly. “But it seems we’re all good at beating the odds.”

“Yeah — I guess we are.” She sighed contentedly. “Good night, Ratchet.”

  
“Good night.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

**_QueenOfRock429_ ** _is online_

**QueenOfRock429** : U guys wanna take a trip?

**_NerdAlert_ ** _is online_

**_TeenageLoser_ ** _is online_

**TeenageLoser** : Miko what r u talking about

**QueenOfRock429** : A vacay. Have either of u been to Vegas lately?

**TeenageLoser** : I’ve never been to Vegas EVER

**NerdAlert** : I think we should do it

**TeenageLoser** : What

**NerdAlert** : I mean, we’re pretty well north of Vegas, but I think we could make it

**NerdAlert** : All we have to do is steal a car

**QueenOfRock429** : Yah but the gas prices from here 2 Vegas r insane

**NerdAlert** : U right, we should just steal Fowler’s chopper

**TeenageLoser** : Are you guys crazy

**TeenageLoser** : Where’s Nova?? I need someone sensible

**NerdAlert** : Hey, I want to see 2 things before I die:

**NerdAlert** : Snow and Vegas

**NerdAlert** : And I will do almost anything to fulfill my goals

**_Nova_ ** _is online_

**QueenOfRock429** : NOVSTER, whaddup???

**Nova** : _.H

**QueenOfRock429** : Huh?

**Nova** : $Dd* g

**Nova** : LLLLLLLLL.lllllLLLLLLL

**NerdAlert** : Texting might take a little while to get used to

**NerdAlert** : Practice makes perfect!

**Nova** : MPggggg. ...

**Nova** : Oklahoma

**QueenOfRock429** : AHAHHAAHAHA

**TeenageLoser** : Guys seriously im gonna wake up mom if I laugh too hard

**QueenOfRock429** : This is hilarious

**NerdAlert** : What, you guys expected her to know how to text on the first day?

**Nova** : Uh

**Nova** : howdoyoudoaspace

**NerdAlert** : It’s the solid rectangle at the bottom of the keyboard

**Nova** : Oh okay I figured it out!

**Nova** : Hi, you guys!

**QueenOfRock429** : Hi Nova!

**TeenageLoser** : Hi Nova

**NerdAlert** : Hi Nova!

**Nova** : Um.

**Nova** : I thought my friends were on this group chat. Who are you people?

**QueenOfRock429** : Oh, she dont know about usernames

**TeenageLoser** : These are usernames, Nova. I’m Jack

**QueenOfRock429** : I’m Miko

**NerdAlert** : I’m Raf

**Nova** : Oh, I see…

**Nova** : You all have fake names.

**NerdAlert** : How do you like your helmet’s upgrades?

**Nova** : They are amazing, Raf! It feels like the first birthday present I’ve had in a long long time!

**QueenOfRock429** : Wow, depressing

**Nova** : Sorry, but it’s true. I haven’t had a birthday, or any sort of gift, since I was ten, I think. But thanks for the gift, Raf! I like talking to you guys even when you’re not here.

**NerdAlert** : No problem :D

**Nova** : What is that?

**NerdAlert** : What?

**Nova** : The D. Why did you send me a D?

**QueenOfRock429** : AHAHAAhahaha

**TeenageLoser** : It’s an emoji, Nova.

**Nova** : I don’t understand.

**QueenOfRock429** : OMP she’s literally Optimus

**Nova** : I’m literally not.

**NerdAlert** : It’s ok. I sent you a :D

**NerdAlert** : If you look at it sideways, it’s a face smiling. An emoji.

**Nova** : Oh!

**Nova** : So that’s an emoji.

**Nova** : :)

**Nova** : I made a smile.

**Nova** : :(

**Nova** : Now it’s sad.

**Nova** : :-)

**Nova** : I did a nose!!!

**QueenOfRock429** : U sure did, Novster.

**QueenOfRock429** : Ooh, we gotta make a name for u 2

**Nova** : I get a fake name, too?

**QueenOfRock429** : Yis

**Nova** : Oh, great! How do I change my name?

**QueenOfRock429** : Silly, I do it for you.

**Nova** : Aw.

**_QueenOfRock429_ ** _changed_ **_Nova’s_ ** _name to_ **_Novster_ **

**TeenageLoser** : Well, that’s original.

**Novster** : Uh… This is already what you call me in real life. Change it again.

**QueenOfRock429** : Haters.

**_QueenOfRock429_ ** _changed_ **_Novster’s_ ** _name to_ **_Broskini_ **

**Broskini** : No.

**QueenOfRock429** : AW COME ON

**NerdAlert** : It is kinda weird.

**QueenOfRock429** : Let her be the great BROSKINI

**TeenageLoser** : Strike two, Miko.

**QueenOfRock429** : Haters gon hate.

**_QueenOfRock429_ ** _changed_ **_Broskini’s_ ** _name to_ **_BitesizedWarrior_ **

**NerdAlert** : She’s not bite sized

**BitesizedWarrior** : I’m not.

**TeenageLoser** : Yikes, Miko.

**QueenOfRock429** : UGH. Why don’t u get yourself some HATERADE??

**BitesizedWarrior** : Oooh I want to be SKELETOR!

**TeenageLoser** : Haha no.

**NerdAlert** : No way are we naming you that

**BitesizedWarrior** : Skeletor’s awesome.

**QueenOfRock429** : Who showed her HE-man anyway??

**TeenageLoser** : Guilty.

**NerdAlert** : You and your eighties cartoons

**TeenageLoser** : They’re good, all right?!

**BitesizedWarrior** : I like Jack’s cartoons. The Adolescent Sewer Reptiles is a good one.

**TeenageLoser** : It’s called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, nova.

**BitesizedWarrior** : Whatever. My favorites are Godzilla movies, anyway.

**QueenOfRock429** : Oh! I got one. U remember Godzilla vs Megalon, Nova?

**_QueenOfRock429_ ** _changed_ **_BitesizedWarrior’s_ ** _name to_ **_JetJaguar17_ **

**JetJaguar17** : YES

**JetJaguar17** : Because Jet Jaguar is a robot who helps humanity and fights monsters and can shrink to human size

**TeenageLoser** : Perfection

**NerdAlert** : Good job, Miko

**QueenOfRock429** : Haters satisfied.

**NerdAlert** : Is your mom home yet Jack?

**TeenageLoser** : no, I got off ez

**JetJaguar17** : I assume you’re cleaning the house

**TeenageLoser** : Yeah, just got done with the living room

**TeenageLoser** : Then I’ll do the kitchen

**TeenageLoser** : And all the dishes

**TeenageLoser** : Then the laundry

**TeenageLoser** : Then the bathroom

**QueenOfRock429** : This is so boring

**NerdAlert** : Agreed

**JetJaguar17** : Who came up with the brilliant idea of putting a t and a y very close together on a keyboard??

**JetJaguar17** : I tried to type guys but I almost typed guts.

**QueenOfRock429** : She almost called us all guts

**NerdAlert** : We need to teach u 2 txt, Nova

**JetJaguar17** : I don’t know what that means.

**QueenOfRock429** : See, dont type out the whol sentnce when u only have 2 type a lil bit

**JetJaguar17** : U mean lik ths?

**JetJaguar17** : Ttyl, LOL, gr8, omw, and such?

**QueenOfRock429** : :D My precious baby is grown up!

**JetJaguar17** : Idc.

**TeenageLoser** : Guys my mom’s home, I g2g

**JetJaguar17** : ??

**NerdAlert** : G2G means got to go

**JetJaguar17** : Oh ok

**JetJaguar17** : Bye Jack

**TeenageLoser** : C u l8r, if I survive

**_TeenageLoser_ ** _is offline_

**QueenOfRock429** : We haven’t even TOLD u about memes yet

**JetJaguar17** : What are memes?

**NerdAlert** : NO MIKO SHE DOESNT NEED 2 KNO

**QueenOfRock429** : It will come out. She will have no choice but to know

**NerdAlert** : Shes 2 innocent.

**JetJaguar17** : I’m right here

**NerdAlert** : Lets not overwhelm her

**QueenOfRock429** : U right she wud die

**QueenOfRock429** : JUST ONE??

**JetJaguar17** : What are you guts even talking about

**JetJaguar17** : Guts

**JetJaguar17** : Oh come ON

**JetJaguar17** : GUYS

**NerdAlert** : Relatable

**_BulkSmash_ ** _is online_

**BulkSmash** : Why are you guys still awake?

**QueenOfRock429** : We’re teachin Nova 2 txt.

**BulkSmash** : You have an essay due on Monday Miko

**QueenOfRock429** : Awwgh, you’re such a parent

**JetJaguar17** : Bulkhead loves you, Miko

**BulkSmash** : Yeah, what she said

**BulkSmash** : And I need you to do your schoolwork

**QueenOfRock429** : Ok but I rly want food

**QueenOfRock429** : Time for a midnight SNAC

**NerdAlert** : Gnite u guys, my mom’s calling me

**JetJaguar17** : Thanks so much for the help, Raf!

**NerdAlert** : No prob my fren

**_NerdAlert_ ** _is offline_

**BulkSmash** : Miko

**QueenOfRock429** : im eating Doritos what do u want

**BulkSmash** : Do your homework

**QueenOfRock429** : Youre not my mom!

**JetJaguar17** : Should I be hearing this?? I think I’ll go to bed

**QueenOfRock429** : NO Nova, stay and tell him how wrong he is!!!

**JetJaguar17** : I have to agree with Bulkhead, Miko. Work hard and things will be better for you

**BulkSmash** : Thats right. I work hard fighting Cons, you work hard doing homework

**QueenOfRock429** : But your job is so much coolerrrrr

**QueenOfRock429** : I wanna be a robot toooooo

**JetJaguar17** : I have to go to bed.

**QueenOfRock429** : No u dont! Your room is like twelve degrees colder than the rest of the base, you hate sleepin in ther!

**BulkSmash** : Good night Nova

**JetJaguar17** : For your information, my room is exactly fifteen degrees colder and so I am sleeping on the couch. Good night you two :)

**_JetJaguar17_ ** _is offline_

**QueenOfRock429** : NOOOOOO

**BulkSmash** : Her room is that cold? Nova hates the cold

**QueenOfRock429** : Yah I know

**BulkSmash** : Every1 knows that. Why doesn’t Ratchet fix it?

**QueenOfRock429** : Prolly cuz Nova nevr complains about ANY THING

**QueenOfRock429** : She’s so nice sometimes I wanna smack er

**QueenOfRock429** : But then I remember she likes Godzilla so I love her again

**QueenOfRock429** : But then I remember she’s gotten to go on the DECEPTICON FRAGGING WARSHIP without me and I wanna smack her again

**QueenOfRock429** : Is this what its like 2 have a sister?!?

**BulkSmash** : Uh, I dunno.

**BulkSmash** : Maybe?

**QueenOfRock429** : OMGOSH I HAVE A SISTER :D

**BulkSmash** : But anyway, about your homework…

**QueenOfRock429** : ERROR 504: Your message could not be sent.

**BulkSmash** : Miko… >:(

**BulkSmash** : I’m not falling for that

**QueenOfRock429** : Uh, gotta go!

**BulkSmash** : MIKO

**_QueenOfRock429_ ** _is offline_

**BulkSmash** : Ugh

**BulkSmash** : …

**BulkSmash** : That’s my girl:)

**_BulkSmash_ ** _is offline_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know this one was short, but more will come later. Sorry for the wait!


	11. Rememberance: AUTHOR'S NOTE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in recognition of 9/11.

Today is a solemn day.

On this day, nineteen years ago, our country was scarred forever by a horrific terrorist attack, which killed thousands of innocent people and left many others in permanent fear. It was an event that we have retold to the younger generations every year, and the survivors and rescue workers have testified to the ghastly atrocities they experienced on September 11, 2001, underneath the Twin Towers and at the Pentagon. Innocent people were taken from this world by those who wished us harm, and carried out that wish in the most heinous and cruel of ways. 

For the sake of those we lost, an act so terrible cannot be allowed to dwindle into obscurity, or to fade into irrelevancy.

May we never forget what happened that day, or those who lost their lives so needlessly. Those brave men and women, firefighters, police officers, and airline passengers who worked to save the dying and the hurting deserve our recognition and respect. We must never forget their noble sacrifice. Take a moment to remember, and to pray for those who have suffered so greatly in the aftermath of the attacks. Such scars do not heal quickly, and they run very deep. 

We hope and pray that the day will come soon when all wars are ended, every tear is wiped away, and everything will be made new. Until that day comes, we will defend our homes, our towns and cities, and our own hearts against the evil which has ravaged this planet all throughout human history. The war against fear and death is not yet over, but we are still standing, and we will continue to stand and fight together no matter the cost. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this isn't really a chapter, guys, but I think we all need to remember. 
> 
> If you're not from America, I am sorry for the disturbance.


	12. Preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Fowler brings up something that needs to be taken care of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm back, guys, with a real chapter this time!
> 
> This one is solely group chat, but it's also the last official "full-group-chat" texting chapters in this story. From now on, the group chat is taking a backseat so we can actually read what happens to everybody! Now and then, there will be some more silliness of this nature, but it won't be too annoying. That kind of stuff happens in Ship of Fools. 
> 
> No epigraph is needed for this chapter, I think, but we'll be back with one SOON.

**_QueenOfRock429_ ** _is online_

**QueenOfRock429:** Whaddup homies?

**_NerdAlert,_ ** **_TeenageLoser,_ ** **_Gramps,_ ** **_JetJaguar17,_ ** _and_ **_FastNFurious_ ** _are online_

**_BulkSmash_ ** _is online_

**_MortalKombat_ ** _is online_

**MortalKombat:** why are you texting? We’re all in the same room

**QueenOfRock429:** cuz txtng is better than listening to Fowler yell about stuff

**FastNFurious:** Yeah, pretty much hate it when he comes around

**BulkSmash:** The guy needs a chill pill pronto

**QueenOfRock429:** You all noticed that his tie is short??

**TeenageLoser:** It bugs me

**JetJaguar17:** His temper is shorter than his tie

**NerdAlert:** His temper shorter than Ratchet’s

**FastNFurious:** True tho

**Gramps:** Humph

**QueenOfRock429** : Anyone vote for tossing him off the cliff??

**MortalKombat** : We already have the Decepticons trying to kill us; we don’t want the entire American government on our tailpipes too

**Gramps** : So no

**NerdAlert** : We could do something less lethal

**QueenOfRock429** : Like put spiders in his shorts

**JetJaguar17** : Sorry, why are we plotting against Fowler?

**BulkSmash** : He isn’t exactly the friendliest dude

**JetJaguar17** : But doesn’t Optimus want us to be kind to all humans, even if they annoy us?

**QueenOfRock429** : Leave it to Inspector Gadget to tell us how it is

**JetJaguar17** : I’m just saying maybe it could be so much worse. I mean what if June came in and lectured us every day

**Gramps** : Primus, no

**MortalKombat** : I would jump off a cliff

**FastnFurious** : Same

**BulkSmash** : Agreed

**QueenOfRock429** : Me too

**NerdAlert** : Uh … Hey guys? Look up

**TeenageLoser** : Uh oh

**TeenageLoser** : Why is Fowler staring @ all of us??

**Gramps** : He just asked you all a question and none of you were paying attention.

**BulkSmash** : What was the question

**Gramps** : If you think I’m telling you, then you could give Wheeljack a run for his money in the insanity department

**NerdAlert** : Guys, he’s lookin at my phonn vjnv c nc,n

**NerdAlert** : This is Special Agent William Fowler. What do you all think you’re doing?

**FastnFurious** : …listening

**MortalKombat** : Attentively

**NerdAlert** : Well, I’ve only got one thing to say to that nij3 vwnjmfjvmfcs

**NerdAlert** : I’m back guys its Raf

**NerdAlert** : Fowler wants to b added 2 the chat

**NerdAlert** : He says he needs to be a part of whats goin on or else hes gonna haul all our butts to the Pentagon no matter how young we are

**TeenageLoser** : Yikes

**NerdAlert** : Just quoting :)

**Gramps** : He asked for it.

**Gramps** : Add him and see how long he lasts

**MortalKombat** : With all his military experience accounted for …

**MortalKombat** : I’d give him three minutes

**QueenOfRock429** : XD

**_NerdAlert_** _added_ ** _Fowler_** _to the chat:_ ** _AOO1_** **_Group_** **_Chat_**

**QueenOfRock429** : We have got 2 change that group name

**JetJaguar17** : I vote Skeletor and the Glorious Godzilla Fanclub

**Gramps** : No

**_Fowler_ ** _is online_

**Fowler** : So this is what the blank stares were about

**Gramps** : Welcome to what is quite possibly the worst experience of your life

**Fowler** : I doubt that. Yall have never been to Walmart

**TeenageLoser** : I love this guy already

**QueenOfRock429** : Thats good because he wants 2 date your mom

**TeenageLoser** : SHUT UP MIKO

**FastnFurious** : Danggg

**MortalKombat** : Did not see that one coming

**BulkSmash** : The star-spangled senior has been outed

**JetJaguar17** : Wait, what?

**QueenOfRock** : Yeaaaah, June and Fowler got it going on

**Fowler** : No we don’t kid!!

**Fowler** : Ms Darby is a great woman and a wonderful mother, and I admire her for being an upstanding American citizen, but it aint like that

**Fowler** : Right, Jack?

**TeenageLoser** : It’s MRS Darby to you Fowler

**Fowler** : I dunno, she tells me to call her June :)

**BulkSmash** : AHAHAHA

**TeenageLoser** : Shut up Spangles

**QueenOfRock429** : Haha Spanglez!

**_QueenOfRock429_ ** _has changed_ **_Fowler’s_ ** _name to_ **_Spanglez_ **

**MortalKombat** : This is disturbing

**Gramps** : Thats putting it lightly

**FastnFurious** : Anyone got popcorn??

**_BossBot_ ** _is online_

**BossBot** : Why has Agent Fowler ceased speaking?

**Spanglez** : I figured this way you’ll have to listen to me

**BossBot** : I see.

**Gramps** : Can we please move on before I smelt you all

**Spanglez** : Sure. As I was saying, before you all zoned out on me…

**BulkSmash** : Hey, don’t judge, its not like we were having a party or anything

**QueenOfRock425** : U said it Bulk

**Spanglez** : We’ve got to talk about the showdown that happened a few days ago

**FastnFurious** : You mean with Nemesis Prime?

**JetJaguar17** : Don’t remind me

**BossBot** : Are you going to be all right, Nova?

**JetJaguar17** : I’m fine, thanks Optimus

**BossBot** : If you do not wish to relive it, we can debrief later.

**JetJaguar17** : I think I’ll be okay if you’re here

**QueenOfRock429** : Aww thatz adorbs ^U^

**FastnFurious** : OP is de best dad

**Gramps** : Yeah, just melts my heart

**QueenOfRock429** : I can literally feel your sarcasm through the phone

**Gramps** : Oh good! It’s working then

**QueenOfRock429** : Hurts u_u

**Gramps** : Strange… the thought of your misery almost fills me with joy

**BossBot** : Could we direct our attention to the matter at hand?

**Spanglez** : Yeah you kids are getting WAY off topic

**TeenageLoser** : Shuddup Spanglez

**QueenOfRock429** : Don’t talk like that to your future father

**TeenageLoser** : MIKO

**QueenOfRock429** : 😁

**Spanglez** : AS I WAS SAYING

**Spanglez** : The attack on Alden military base turned a lotta heads

**Spanglez** : The military’s convinced that Prime’s been doing some questionable things lately

**Spanglez** : What with the temporary turn to the Decepticons

**Spanglez** : and the alliance with Megatron to stop Unicron and all

**JetJaguar17** : You told them about all of that??

**Spanglez** : I have to kid, that’s my job. I report everything to them and in return you all get to stay here under the protection of the US government

**Spanglez** : Anyway, after all that, my superiors told me they wanna know whether they can trust the big guy or not

**NerdAlert** : OF COURSE they can trust him

**QueenOfRock429** : Optimus aint no Con!

**TeenageLoser** : Everything you said was something Optimus had to do to save our planet!

**QueenOfRock429** : OPTIMUS IS A GOOD GUY 4EVA!!!!!!!!!!!

**Gramps** : I have to agree. Out of all of us, Prime doesn’t deserve this kind of scrutiny

**MortalKombat** : ^^

**BulkSmash** : ^^

**FastnFurious** : ^^

**BossBot** : Thank you for your wholehearted defense, everyone. :)

**QueenOfRock429** : !!!!!!!!!!

**QueenOfRock429** : Optimus used an EMOJI ?!?!?!?! SADFJVJ@ICKx

**JetJaguar17** : I taught him that one

**QueenOfRock429** : *O*

**QueenOfRock** : I feel proud and also betrayed

**BulkSmash** : Ya I kno the feeling

**NerdAlert** : Jack is laughing so hard

**FastnFurious** : I’M laughing so hard

**MortalKombat** : Looks like we got derailed again

**Spanglez** : It’s like working with a bunch of toddlers

**Gramps** : Glad someone else can relate.

**QueenOfRock429** : HEY I AM NOT A CHILD

**JetJaguar17** : You actually are??

**Gramps** : We’re all standing around playing word games with each other as opposed to speaking like civil people…

**Gramps** : So as far as I can see, we’re all children.

**Spanglez** : If you CHILDREN would listen for FIVE SECONDS maybe we could get things done!

**QueenOfRock429** : ooh he done brought out that exclamation point…

**MortalKombat** : Guys, just listen and we can get this over with. I’m supposed to take Jack for a ride

**Spanglez** : Basically, I gotta do some more gabbing up @ the fort

**Spanglez** : Prime’s gotta be there cuz of all the stunts MECH pulled lately

**NerdAlert** : Yeah, I guess the govt would be super confused about it

**Spanglez** : The kid’s gotta come too

**JetJaguar17** : Me?

**BossBot** : Why, Agent Fowler?

**FastnFurious** : Ooh OP got suspicious…

**QueenOfRock429** : Is the GOVT GONNA LOCK HER UP??

**Spanglez** : No, she just needs to be there so they can assess her strengths and understand whether she poses a threat to national security

**TeenageLoser** : She barely poses a threat to school janitors

**Spanglez** : You saw her take down Silas’ goons, right??

**QueenOfRock** : uhh no…

**QueenOfRock429** : Buuut we did see her takin down a coupla Vehicons once!

**BulkSmash** : That was epic

**Spanglez** : Exactly. If a human can take down robots that size, the government wants to hear about it

**Gramps** : Of course they do

**QueenOfRock429** : What r u waitin for?? Give us the deets

**Spanglez** : Sorry, M, I gotta discuss this with the kid and Prime. Every1 leave for a min.

**BulkSmash** : Even you Miko

**QueenOfRock429** : Awwgh

**_NerdAlert_ ** _,_ **_QueenOfRock429_ ** _,_ **_MortalKombat_ ** _,_ **_TeenageLoser_ ** _, and_ **_FastnFurious_ ** _are offline_

**_BulkSmash_ ** _is offline_

**Gramps** : You’ll be alright?

**BossBot** : Indeed, Ratchet

**JetJaguar17** : Yes, thanks Ratchet! :) You are very kind

**Gramps** : Yeah yeah whatever

**_Gramps_ ** _is offline_

_**Spanglez** has opened up a private chat_

**BossBot** : Agent Fowler, I have certain misgivings about this summons. Is it truly mandatory?

**Spanglez** : Afraid so, Prime. You’ll both be on site, of course, so you can stay close

**BossBot** : But they will not allow her to remain with me?

**Spanglez** : Not until they know where both of you stand.

**JetJaguar17** : So I have to go and sit up straight in a chair for hours?

**Spanglez** : Probably yes

**JetJaguar17** : Are they going to interrogate me?

**Spanglez** : Also yes

**JetJaguar17** : Do I have to wear a dress??

**Spanglez** : Uh, no?

**JetJaguar17** : OK I’ll do it

**Spanglez** : Don’t wear your armor either. We don’t wanna cause a guns-blazing panic

**JetJaguar17** : :(

**JetJaguar17** : Okay then casual clothes it is

**Spanglez** : I’ll be by to pick you up in the chopper @ 10

**JetJaguar17** : Correction, Optimus will pick me up

**JetJaguar17** : As in, we’ll go together

**Spanglez** : Kid, they want you to be under the supervision of an official government agent

**JetJaguar17** : Why? Are they scared of me?

**Spanglez** : …

**JetJaguar17** : Fowler??

**Spanglez** : Don’t know yet. That’s what this meeting is about. They’re gonna find out if they can trust you and the big rig

**Spanglez** : To tell you the truth, I’m not sure which way its gonna go

**Spanglez** : Which is why I need to escort you myself

**JetJaguar17** : Would it be worse if I drove up on a red transforming truck or if I didn’t show up at all and became a fugitive?

**Spanglez** : It would be worse if you didn’t show

**JetJaguar17** : Okay, then I’m riding with Optimus.

**JetJaguar17** : Or I’m not coming.

**Spanglez** : …

**Spanglez** : Lemme make a call.

**_Spanglez_ ** _is offline_

**BossBot** : Nova, are you certain that was wise?

**JetJaguar17** : I don’t want to be alone, Optimus

**JetJaguar17** : What if the government decides I’m too dangerous??

**BossBot** : That will not happen.

**JetJaguar17** : But if it does, you can’t do anything about it. If you don’t do what the government says, they’ll kick you off the planet.

**BossBot** : It would not be the first time I sacrificed the favor of the planet for the sake of those I love

**JetJaguar17** : I know.

**JetJaguar17** : But if they take me away … I want to have a chance to say goodbye first.

**BossBot** : I understand.

**_Spanglez_ ** _is online_

**Spanglez** : All right, I got the go-ahead from the chief. You two can come together.

**JetJaguar17** : All right! Thanks Uncle Fowler! :D

**Spanglez** : Uncle Fowler?!

**JetJaguar17** : Well, if you’re dating my aunt …

**Spanglez** : We are NOT like that

**JetJaguar17** : …Yet?

**Spanglez** : Probably ever.

**JetJaguar17** : Well, you’re still the closest I’ve got to a human uncle, and the job comes with the title

**Spanglez** : *Sighs in American* Fine kid.

**JetJaguar17** : See you both tomorrow!

**_JetJaguar17_ ** _is offline_

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

**_QueenOfRock429_ ** _,_ **_FastnFurious_ ** _,_ **_BulkSmash_ ** _,_ **_TeenageLoser_ ** _, and_ **_MortalKombat_ ** _are online_

**TeenageLoser** : Text ^ if you’re glad Fowler’s gone

**FastnFurious** : ^

**BulkSmash** : ^

**QueenOfRock429** : ^^^^^^^^^

**MortalKombat** : ^

**TeenageLoser** : We’re missing one?

**QueenOfRock429** : Where’s Shorty??

**_NerdAlert_ ** _is online_

**NerdAlert** : Here.

**NerdAlert** : I was busy doing something

**FastnFurious** : What??

**NerdAlert** : Well… remember how Wheeljack is on Earth now?? I think he’s somewhere in Kentucky right now

**BulkSmash** : Yeah, so?

**NerdAlert** : I found a way to get him on the chat!

**BulkSmash** : Raf, you’re the greatest!!

**QueenOfRock429** : HEY

**BulkSmash** : Uh … I mean Miko and Jackie are the greatest… but you’re third greatest :)

**MortalKombat** : Add him already

**QueenOfRock429** : SOMEONE’s eager

**BulkSmash** : Yeah, what’s up with that, Arcee??

**MortalKombat** : …

**MortalKombat** : Just add him to the chat, Raf

**_NerdAlert_** _added_ ** _Wheeljack_** _to the chat:_ ** _AOO1_** **_Group_** **_Chat_**

**_QueenOfRock429_** _changed the chat name to_ ** _AREA_** **_FIFTY_** _-_ ** _ONE_**

**NerdAlert** : Good name

**_Wheeljack_ ** _is online_

**Wheeljack** : Whats up guys?

**BulkSmash** : HEY JACKIE!

**Wheeljack** : HEY BULK HOW YA DOIN

**BulkSmash** : IM DOIN FINE YOU FILTHY SLAGGER HOW ARE YOU

**Wheeljack** : IM ALWAYS FINE BRO

**FastnFurious** : I can just see them chest bumping each other rn

**TeenageLoser** : I kno

**QueenOfRock429** : ISNT IT AWESOME??

**Wheeljack** : HEY MiKO

**QueenOfRock429** : YOOO

**Wheeljack** : YOOOO

**TeenageLoser** : Hi Wheeljack!

**NerdAlert** : Welcome to the chat!

**MortalKombat** : It doesn’t get much weirder than this

**QueenOfRock429** : In honor of his dedicated service and his acceptance to this illustrious chat…

**QueenOfRock429** : Wheeljack is going to be named after a great food

**QueenOfRock429** : MASHED POTATERS

**_QueenOfRock429_ ** _changed_ **_Wheeljack’s_ ** _name to_ **_PotatoSamurai_ **

**PotatoSamurai** : Uh, awesome?

**BulkSmash** : Definitely awesome

**TeenageLoser** : Why? Just why?

**QueenOfRock429** : Cuz he’s totally a spud

**TeenageLoser** : That sounds dumb

**QueenOfRock429** : Jeez, Ratchet much?

**NerdAlert** : You do sound a little bit like Ratchet rn…

**TeenageLoser** : How dare you.

**PotatoSamurai** : Where is Ratchet?? Haven’t seen him or Prime on here

**PotatoSamurai** : Also, wasn’t there another girl who joined up with y’all recently?? Nora or somethin?

**QueenOfRock429** : Haha her names Nova

**QueenOfRock429** : You’d love her Jackie! She’s the best

**PotatoSamurai** : Well if Miko says she’s the best, then she’s the best.

**NerdAlert** : And Ratchet’s sulking somewhere

**MortalKombat** : He hates being on this chat

**PotatoSamurai** : I imagine the Doc hates everything

**BulkSmash** : He’s kind of a grump

**FastnFurious** : Thats not true, he smiles sometimes…

**MortalKombat** : Oh yeah? When was the last time Ratchet smiled at you?

**FastnFurious** : When I got hit by that truck

**BulkSmash** : Ha! That was funny

**PotatoSamurai** : So do you guys miss me or what??

**BulkSmash** : Heck yes we do

**_JetJaguar17_ ** _is online_

**_Gramps_ ** _is online_

**TeenageLoser** : Hey, Ratch. Read up on the texts!

**Gramps** : No

**Gramps** : You did NOT.

**PotatoSamurai** : Hey, Doc! Nice nickname :D

**Gramps** : Someone’s going to die

**QueenOfRock429** : I came up with Gramps!

**PotatoSamurai** : You’re a GENIUS

**Gramps** : She is most certainly not.

**Gramps** : Which of you put Wheeljack on here?!

**NerdAlert** : *raises guilty hand*

**Gramps** : Rafael, how could you.

**NerdAlert** : Sorry Ratchet *-* pls forgive

**PotatoSamurai** : Yeah Gramps, the kid was just tryin 2 be inclusive

**Gramps** : Call me that again and you’ll find yourself suddenly Groundbridged to the bottom of the sea.

**PotatoSamurai** : Yeesh, what’s your damage, Doc??

**Gramps** : I DON’T WANT YOU ON THIS CHAT

**_Gramps_ ** _is offline_

**QueenOfRock429** : Cranky

**FastnFurious** : It’s past his bedtime

**TeenageLoser** : poor old man

**JetJaguar17** : What just happened, and who is PotatoSamurai??

**PotatoSamurai** : Who’s asking??

**JetJaguar17** : You go first, fella, I ain’t talkin

**PotatoSamurai** : I like this person!

**PotatoSamurai** : How’d these bozos get a grown up like u on this chat??

**JetJaguar17** : Uh, yep that’s me, a grown up

**JetJaguar17** : The most bona-fide growed up adult in the world and I do taxes too that’s right

**TeenageLoser** : That’s Nova, Wheeljack, and she’s about 17, I think.

**JetJaguar17** : Man.

**PotatoSamurai** : Ah. We meet at last.

**TeenageLoser** : Nova, this is Wheeljack

**JetJaguar17** : The dude who made that gas station explode a while back??

**JetJaguar17** : Cuz that dude was awesome and that explosion was beautiful

**PotatoSamurai** : Ha, I REALLY like this kid!

**BulkSmash** : Jackie and I were part of the Wreckers back on Cybertron. Explosions and demolitions were kind of our specialty, not to brag

**JetJaguar17** : Well, if Ratchet hates you, you must be pretty awesome.

**PotatoSamurai** : And you must be pretty smart bc I am definitely awesome ;)

**QueenOfRock429** : Right, ARCEE??

**MortalKombat** : Pipe down Miko

**JetJaguar17** : So what made you such a stranger, Wheeljack??

**QueenOfRock429** : He’s been exploring Earth

**NerdAlert** : Specifically the American continents.

**PotatoSamurai** : Yes I have, and you guys have a pretty sweet planet, let me tell ya, but the lack of demolitions being sold is a bit sad.

**TeenageLoser** : You can’t just sell grenades by the side of the road, WJ

**PotatoSamurai** : Don’t crush my dreams Darby!

**FastnFurious** : Dream-crusher

**MortalKombat** : So Nova, what were you talking about with Optimus?

**QueenOfRock429** : Give us the deets!

**JetJaguar17** : If deets means details, I can’t give you any, sorry

**QueenOfRock429** : MAN

**NerdAlert** : Miko doesn’t like that

**JetJaguar17** : I CAN’T tell u that I’ll be gone all day tomorrow, and I CAN’T say that I’ll be interrogated by government officials for the duration of that time, and I CAN’T tell u that I might not be coming back

**BulkSmash** : Wait, what?

**FastnFurious** : Hol up

**TeenageLoser** : Wut?

**QueenOfRock429** : WHAT

**PotatoSamurai** : Huh?

**_Gramps_ ** _is online_

**Gramps** : I heard Miko growling, what’s going on

**PotatoSamurai** : Nothin’ Gramps…

**Gramps** : Shut up or get out

**PotatoSamurai** : *backs away*

**TeenageLoser** : Miko just heard that Nova might be taken into government custody tomorrow

**Gramps** : WHAT

**MortalKombat** : The danger of rumors…

**JetJaguar17** : Guys, it’s not certain. They’ll only put me away if they decide I’m too dangerous. Fowler said it’ll turn out all right.

**FastnFurious** : U sure??

**JetJaguar17** : Absolutely!

**JetJaguar17** : Besides, even if they do put me away, it will be so much better than the life I used to have.

**JetJaguar17** : Don’t worry everyone.

**NerdAlert** : Okay…

**TeenageLoser** : If u say so

**QueenOfRock429** : Govt better keep their fragging hands off my Nova

**Gramps** : Language Miko

**JetJaguar17** : Hang on a sec. Optimus is calling me I g2g

**JetJaguar17** : Nice talkin 2 u WJ!

**_JetJaguar17_ ** _is offline_

**Gramps** : Take Wheeljack off or so help me I will turn you all to SLAG

**QueenOfRock429** : U know u love us

**_Gramps_ ** _is offline_

**BulkSmash** : Sore loser.

**TeenageLoser** : Yeah, a bit

**QueenOfRock429** : I’m gonna go say goodbye to Novster.

**NerdAlert** : Good idea

**_NerdAlert_ ** _is offline_

**_TeenageLoser_ ** _is offline_

**_QueenOfRock429_ ** _is offline_

**BulkSmash** : WJ, looks like you’re gonna experience another part of Earth culture, huh buddy?

**PotatoSamurai** : Can’t wait for it! This chat is gonna be epic

**FastnFurious** : Guys, Ratchet snagged me 4 another chore, I gotta go

**_FastnFurious_ ** _is offline_

**PotatoSamurai** : I gotta go 2, there’s a parking ticket in my future if I don’t hightail it

**BulkSmash** : Bye Jackie!

**MortalKombat** : See ya

**_PotatoSamurai_ ** _is offline_

**_Everyone_ ** _is offline_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for leaving kudos, guys. It really makes my day when I get that notification email.
> 
> Now that I read back on this chapter, I guess I implied some Wheeljack/Arcee in here...


	13. Grill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Nova and Optimus head to the Pentagon for a little government work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! Guess who's not dead? 
> 
> So today is Friday, which means I have a little more time on my hands than usual, and I finally get to upload a chapter or two for y'all. I'm gonna try to upload another Ship of Fools chapter tomorrow, because I'll be mostly free the whole day, so I guess I'll see you later!
> 
> This chapter is a bit short, but I didn't wanna make it a two-parter. It's also a bit of a rollercoaster.  
> Enjoy!
> 
> Oh, wait, wait! OUR EPIGRAPH!
> 
> "The eye, like a shattered mirror, multiplies the images of sorrow."  
> \--Edgar Allen Poe

“Are you ready to depart?” Optimus asked, looking down at the half-spark fondly as she paced the floor.

“What if they ask me about my education?” Nova asked suddenly, firing off questions faster than his mind could keep up. “What if I don’t remember the exact details about my abduction? It was a while ago. What if they ask about my birth certificate, or social security number, or immunization records? I don’t have any of those things, and if I do, I don’t know how to find any of them. What if they give me a test, and I don’t know about the country’s laws or regulations or anything? What if—”

“You have an annoying tendency to what-if,” Ratchet called gruffly from the monitor. “It’s wearing on my audials.”

“Ratchet has a point,” Optimus said to the half-spark. “It would be best not to worry.”

“Easier said than done,” she replied. “I’m about to be cross-examined by a bunch of paranoid military officers who are probably already convinced I’m a threat. What if they don’t trust me? What if they lock me up? Oh, Optimus!” She hid her face in her hands. “What if they put me in an asylum?! I’m terrified of asylums; I can’t live in a place like that. What if they put me into shock therapy?!”

Ratchet half-turned from his computer. “I think you’ve been spending too much time with your aunt, Nova.”

Optimus knelt down to her, and stopped her mid-pace with his hand. “We may speak more of this on the way. But I will let no harm come to you. I give you my word.”

She drew in a shaky breath, meeting his eyes. “Okay.”

Then, slowly, her tightly-clenched armor began to loosen and shift away, and she crawled into his hand without another word. Optimus transformed, and, with a nudge to her seatbelt for reassurance, he rolled through the Groundbridge with no further hesitation.

Ratchet breathed a sigh after they had gone.

“Primus, protect them both,” he murmured, shutting the bridge behind them.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Nova looked out the window for a while as Optimus drove, making his way from the coordinates Agent Fowler had provided as a “safe distance” to the Pentagon building, a place which, at that present moment, Nova dreaded more than anything.

So, to distract herself, the half-spark formed her helmet and opened up the group chat.

_**JetJaguar17** is online_

**JetJaguar17** : Is anyone else on right now?

**QueenOfRock429** : Heck ya, I’m on

_**BulkSmash** is online_

**BulkSmash** : Miko, get back to class.

**QueenOfRock429** : How do you DO that?!

**BulkSmash** : I just can, now go back to class and turn off your phone. See you later.

**QueenOfRock429** : ugh fine mom

_**QueenOfRock429** is offline_

**JetJaguar17** : Sorry, Bulkhead

**BulkSmash** : No problem, Nova, it’s not your fault. Hey, good luck at your thing, okay? Just remember we’re all gonna be here for you when you get back.

**JetJaguar17** : If I get back, you mean.

**BulkSmash** : When :)

**JetJaguar17** : :) Thanks, Bulkhead

**BulkSmash** : No prob, c u l8r!

_**BulkSmash** is offline_

**JetJaguar17** : Anyone else on here? It’s kind of a long drive, and I’m trying to see if I can talk to you all to clear my nerves a bit

**Gramps** : Just me. I’m monitoring for emergency messages.

**Gramps** : Arcee and Bumblebee are out on a recon mission, and the humans are at school, so don’t bother contacting them.

**Gramps** : If you’re that nervous, then you should talk to Optimus. He can help a lot

**JetJaguar17** : Oh, okay. Sorry.

**JetJaguar17** : Guess I’ll go.

**Gramps** : Wait

**Gramps** : …Let me know how it goes, kid.

**Gramps** : I know it’s tough.

**JetJaguar17** : :D

**JetJaguar17** : Okay! Love you Ratchet!

**Gramps** : Hmph.

**JetJaguar17** : Come on, say it back

**Gramps** : For Primus sake

**JetJaguar17** : RRRRAAATTTCCHHHETT

**JetJaguar17** : Say it back!

**Gramps** : …

**JetJaguar17** : sssssaaaayyyy it

**Gramps** : Fine. Love you too.

**JetJaguar17** : *gasp* Awww — Uncle Ratchet!

**Gramps** : Excuse me?

**JetJaguar17** : Well, if u and Optimus are basically as close as bros and OP is as close to me as a dad…

**JetJaguar17** : Then you’re as close to me as an uncle!

**Gramps** : In that case, you have a lot of uncles, and Megatron is one of them.

**JetJaguar17** : :(

**JetJaguar17** : Ur right. I’ll just call you Gramps.

**Gramps** : …

**Gramps** : Uncle Ratchet would be fine.

**JetJaguar17** : :D

**JetJaguar17** : Love you, Uncle Ratchet!

**PotatoSamurai** : Aww… Uncle Ratchet XD

**Gramps** : YOU’RE ON HERE TOO???

**PotatoSamurai** : Yeah, and I think I’m cryin a little… T-T

**Gramps** : Shut up, Wheeljack

**PotatoSamurai** : Nova, can I be your cousin?

**JetJaguar17** : Yeah! You’re all my cousins, really :)

**JetJaguar17** : Cept for Raf, he’s like my little brother

**PotatoSamurai** : Sweet! Have fun, kid, and don’t let ‘em scare ya.

**JetJaguar17** : Thanks! Have a good drive!

**PotatoSamurai** : Will do Cousin

_**PotatoSamurai** is offline_

**Gramps** : Is there anyone ELSE on here who would like to make their presence known? I have a feeling this situation isn’t embarrassing enough.

**JetJaguar17** : Don’t be embarrassed, Uncle Ratch, you made me feel a lot better!

**Gramps** : Well, I guess I’m not the grumpy, unfeeling grouch of a medic you thought I was

**JetJaguar17** : I never thought you were

**FastnFurious** : I did :P

**Gramps** : Oh for SLAG’s sake

**Gramps** : EVERYONE GET OFF THIS CHAT

**Gramps** : And as for my “niece”…

**Gramps** : Talk to your guardian already before I Groundbridge a wrench straight into the Pentagon!

**JetJaguar17** : Okay, bye!

_**JetJaguar17** is offline_

_**FastnFurious** is offline_

_**Spanglez** is offline_

_**MortalKombat** is offline_

**Gramps** : Great, is that everyone?

_**NerdAlert** is offline_

**Gramps** : EVERYONE WAS ON HERE??

**Gramps** : Is JACK THE ONLY HUMAN IN SCHOOL?!

**TeenageLoser** : Yeah, I guess so ;)

**Gramps** : GO TO CLASS BEFORE I CALL YOUR MOTHER!

_**TeenageLoser** is offline_

**Gramps** : Of all the blasted glitchheaded slag-spouting ideas, this fragging CHAT was the WORST

**Gramps** : …

**Gramps** : Optimus, you’re on here too, aren’t you?

**BossBot** : I am indeed, old friend. :)

**Gramps** : Scrap.

**BossBot** : Your command of impolite phrases is … impressive.

**Gramps** : Primus just kill me now

**BossBot** : I have a feeling Nova would not enjoy losing her uncle.

**Gramps** : Oh, please, just let me monitor in peace while you go and be an interspecies ambassador, or whatever Fowler wants to call it.

**BossBot** : Thank you for your kindness, Ratchet.

_**BossBot** is offline_

**Gramps** : Oh, I just know this day is going to be great. Great start to the day. Wonderful. I’m not even human and I need coffee.

_**Gramps** is offline_

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

About two hours later, Nova sat in a chair in a brightly lit room, twisting her fingers. Fowler had departed for his meeting ten minutes ago, and since then she had been sitting in this room, waiting for her psychological evaluation to begin, whatever that meant. Nova rolled that phrase around in her head for a while. She’d never had a psychological evaluation before.

Suddenly, a tall, rather crooked-looking man walked into the room, closing the door behind him. His white hair stood out in shocks on either side of his long, drawn face, framing a lopsided smile and glinting, sharp eyes. Over his right hand, he wore a dark leather glove. Over his left hand, he wore nothing, but carried a briefcase.

 _Let's get this over with. You can do it, Nova._ She let out a slow breath. 

“Hello. My name is Dr. Arkeville,” the man said in a pleasant voice. “I am here to conduct your psychological evaluation. I’m sure you won’t object if I ask a few questions?”

Nova folded her arms. “No.”

“I’m sure this must be very hard for you,” he said kindly, taking a sheaf of papers out of his briefcase. “You haven’t had this much human interaction for a while, I imagine.”

“No.”

“I understand,” he smiled, taking a seat and pulling out a pen. “I’m not one for human interaction myself.”

Nova eyed him. His voice sounded so familiar.

“Interesting career choice, don’t you think?” she asked aloud.

“Ah, dear child,” he said, laughing. “Being a psychological evaluations specialist is not exactly a job that requires interaction.” He looked at her steadily. “Merely information.”

Nova frowned slightly. She felt that she knew this man from somewhere. Why did he seem so familiar?

“But enough about me,” Arkeville said, clicking the pen and putting it to his pad. “Let’s move on to our real task, shall we?”

Nova settled back in her chair, and looked down at the ground, her arms tightly folded. This room unnerved her. She wished Optimus were here. She hated being alone.

“First question,” he said briskly. “Oh, this is a pleasant one. Where were you born?”

Nova frowned a little.

“Oregon,” she muttered.

“Oh, how delightful. What town?”

Nova thought for a minute.

Arkeville looked up from his notepad. “Town?”

“I don’t want to tell you,” she intoned, glaring at the ground.

“I understand,” he said. “But I must inform you that this will be a lot easier if you cooperate—”

“I _said_ , I don’t want to tell you!” Nova growled.

Arkeville paused.

“We’ll just come back to those basic questions,” he said cheerfully. “On to the next one. How many siblings do you have?”

Nova’s breath stalled. Her jaw clenched.

“Any sisters?” Arkeville prompted, seemingly unaware of her discomfort. “A brother, maybe?”

“One,” Nova whispered.

Arkeville paused, his pen poised. “Pardon?”

“One brother.”

“Oh, excellent!” Arkeville scribbled in his notebook. “We are making progress. What was his name?”

“Coby.”

“Ah, I see. And how old is he?”

“He…” Nova gritted her teeth, trying to control herself. “He was sixteen.”

“Was? Dear me, did something happen to him?”

Nova’s eyes darted towards the desk suspiciously. “That question isn’t on the test.”

“It might not be,” Arkeville said, tapping the pen. “But part of a psychological evaluation is knowing the psyche itself. In order to accurately assess your mental health, I should dearly like to know what happened to … Coby, was it?”

Nova’s hands clenched tightly in her elbows.

“He died. In a fight.”

“Ah. Part of a gang, was he?”

Nova let out a grim chuckle, but her balled-up fists trembled. “You might say that.”

“And you?” Arkeville raised a bushy eyebrow at her. “Were you also a part of this gang? Did you witness his death?”

Nova closed her eyes, trying to shut out the memory. “Yes. I did.”

“I imagine that was … difficult for you.”

She shuddered. The stark image of Coby’s cold, white face — his glassy, vacant eyes, his dead eyes, staring at her — leaked into her mind.

Nova growled roughly, shoving down her impending distress. “Look, don’t you have questions to ask about my medical records or something?”

“Oh, well,” he said, skimming over his notepad. “I suppose we could skip ahead to those, if you are comfortable.”

“Just ask the questions.”

“Very well.” Self-consciously, Dr Arkeville suddenly brushed his sideburns back a little, then smiled at her and pulled a blue comb out of his case.

“Do you mind?” he asked politely. “My hair got blown about a little.”

At her stubborn silence, he shrugged and began to lift it to his head.

But as she caught sight of the comb, Nova started in her chair and stared, transfixed, at his hand.

A memory, unbidden, slammed into her mind.

A white tray, with a newly emptied syringe. A lab table, with restraining straps, glossy and unbreakable, and a padded head-binder resting on the ground. A blue comb. Pain. A man’s voice.

 _This_ man’s voice.

A look of utmost horror flitted across her face, and realization sprang into her eyes.

“You,” she whispered.

He paused, the comb halfway to his head, but he was grinning — almost leering.

“Pardon?” he asked.

Nova’s eyes flitted to his — saw the smug, knowing look in his stare — and she unfolded her arms.

“You’re one of them,” she seethed, with undiluted hate surging through her veins. “You’re a _part_ of them!”

“Whatever do you mean?” he asked, the perfect picture of innocence as he lifted his pen again. “Let’s explore what you mean by ‘them’. Is this the gang you spoke of before? Perhaps this means something very important to you?”

Nova shoved herself up from the chair and strode over to his desk, sticking an accusing finger in his face. “You’re a scientist from MECH’s laboratory,” she snarled. “I remember. I saw you there.”

“You saw me where?”

She slammed her hands down on the desk, glaring at him with unapologetic malice. “Don’t play dumb! You injected me with Energon yourself! You were in charge of the stupid _projects—”_ Nova stopped, staring at him.

“You were in charge of Coby. Did you hurt Coby, too?” she demanded, driving her fist into the desk’s smooth surface. “Did you put the chip in his brain?!”

His mouth curled sideways in a smile. “You’re the one being evaluated. Not me.”

Quicker than thinking, she reached out seized him by the coat, dragging him out of his chair.

“I don’t give a rip about your silly evaluation, you slimy little _weasel_!” she seethed, her eyes flashing. “What did you do to my brother?!”

“I would calm down if I were you,” he said nonchalantly. “At the first sign of aggression out of you, this room will be filled with soldiers ready to put you in a cell for the rest of your life. You wouldn’t want that, now would you?”

At that moment, Nova’s anger was instantly replaced by a horrible realization. She was stuck in a room with the person who was almost solely responsible for her nightmares. How many other soldiers around the room were involved with MECH? She was on enemy territory.

Nova let go of his coat as if she had been burned. Her hands shook. The blood pounded in her ears. She had to get away. She had to get out of this confounded room. The longer she was in here, the more power they held.

Arkeville sat back in his chair and smoothed out the collar casually.

“If you will please, sit down,” Arkeville said, grinning. “We have so much to cover.”

Nova darted toward the door. Before she could even touch the handle, Arkeville’s right arm shot out, and slammed her in the chest, sending her stumbling back into her chair with amazing force. He hit a button on his watch, and Nova felt a clanking noise coming from the back of the seat. Metal binders on the arms and legs locked around her ankles and wrists before her armor could form.

Dazed, Nova gasped for breath, staring at him in shock.

“That’s better.” He removed the glove from his right hand. Underneath was a metal prosthetic, complete with individual finger joints and cruel-looking claws. It glinted dully in the light.

He caught her staring at it.

“Remember when you gave me this?” Arkeville asked, smiling.

Nova’s eyes were as wide a deer’s caught in the headlights of a semi.

“You sliced my arm off at the elbow, the day you broke containment,” said Arkeville casually, as if discussing the weather.

Nova did not respond. She was trembling. Arkeville did not seem to mind.

“You know, I really should thank you,” he smiled, looking at her with awful delight. “You inspired the construction of the most advanced prosthetic in human history.”

Nova’s breaths came short and fast, her mouth was drying out, and it was so — so hard to _breathe_. Why was it so hard to breathe? She began to panic, feeling as though her chest was caving in. She gasped for air. Chills ran up her arms.

"Let’s relive some old memories,” Arkeville said, pulling a few tools out of his bag. “Do any of these look familiar to you?”

Petrified, Nova looked at the tools lying on the table, breathing hard. One of them was a laser-edged knife, the only kind MECH possessed which could pierce through her armor, and the other was a familiar metal remote, with one button on it.

“The control for the restraining bands,” he said, following her horrified gaze. “We used this on you if you misbehaved, remember?”

She trembled. Now she knew what the chair was for. 

“Do you know what will happen if you misbehave now?”

Nova grimaced.

“Good.” He shuffled his papers, and opened up his notepad. “Hopefully, we will not have to resort to such measures.”

Nova took in a shuddering breath.

“What … what do you want from me?” she asked in a quavering voice.

“Quite simply, I want your mind,” Dr. Arkeville replied. “If you cooperate, it will be much easier for everyone.”

She shook. “What if … what if I don’t cooperate?”

He shrugged, and pressed the button.

The hard plate at her back suddenly lit up with jolts of electricity, administering shocks to her spinal cord which should have paralyzed a normal human. Nova rose off the surface of the chair, jerking and tensing with the horrible, stinging, searing pain, unable to scream, the jagged blue fire bottled up under her skin.

Arkeville released the button, and Nova fell back. Spots flew in front of her eyes. She could barely force a breath into her lungs. Her stomach churned. She could barely concentrate on what Arkeville was saying through the ringing in her ears. For all that, Nova was dimly aware of the fact that he had moved closer to her.

The half-spark’s hands clutched the arms of the chair in a white-knuckled death grip.

“If…” she croaked.

“Pardon?” Arkeville asked again.

“If I get … free,” she grunted, struggling to speak. “I’ll _kill_ you.”

“That’s what your brother told me,” Arkeville said pleasantly, making sure she could hear him. “Just before he lost his mind.”

The words sank into her ears like sharpened knives through flesh. A tear dripped from Nova’s eyes. A sob jarred her throat painfully, and once she had started, she could not stop. She shook in the chair’s horrible embrace, the tears falling from her eyes like rain. Horrible thoughts roiled in her mind. Coby's face appeared before her again. Her skin throbbed. Her head ground out thoughts like an iron forge.

“Let’s move on to another topic,” Arkeville said, leafing through his notepad. “Let’s talk about Stage Three. Your first injection.”

Nova took in a shuddering breath, and clenched her fists on the chair’s arms.

“Do you remember your first injection, Experiment 011?”

Nova choked on another sob. She remembered.

“What do you recall about that day?”

With a great effort, she raised her eyes. “Everything.”

He pressed the button again.

This time, the chair was worse. Patches of Nova’s armor jerked out of her body, rattling with the force of the energy leaping through her flesh.

By the time Arkeville let go of the button, Nova was barely conscious. Something like smoke rose from her skin. Perhaps she was burning.

“Actually, you don’t remember everything,” he said cheerfully. “You don’t remember this, do you?”

He showed her what he held in his left hand. Nova struggled to focus, staring at his fleshy fingers through a blurred, aching lens.

“This is a chip,” he explained. “More specifically, it is a sub-cortical, hyper-cerebral implant of my own design. It stimulates the hypothalamus and regulates the basal ganglia in very complicated ways. I wanted to put this in you the first day you came to the facility, but Silas said you weren’t ready — that you needed to be conditioned first.”

Arkeville shrugged. “Our opinions differed. But that isn’t the point. Essentially, if I place this behind your ear,” he said, moving closer. “I will be able to control you just like I controlled your brother.”

Nova’s head pounded. Memories of being subjected to the cortical psychic patch flashed through her mind; the sounds of Coby’s uncontrollable rage and his hateful words rang in her ears.

“Get away from me!” she screamed in terror, thrashing against the restraints. “Get away!”

He pressed the button. The horrible electricity shot through Nova’s muscles again, leaving her gasping for breath in the chair as Arkeville tutted to himself.

“I don’t blame you for being afraid,” he said sympathetically as the half-spark twitched. “I’ve heard this treatment is rather painful to resist. I’m surprised your brother lasted for so long against the chip. Really, he should have died.” He put a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “Oh, yes, I suppose he did in the end, didn’t he?”

Nova sobbed again, her breath hitching horribly in her sticking throat.

“Please …” Nova croaked. “Please, don’t …”

Arkeville was about to press the button again, when suddenly, the door burst open on its hinges and crashed against the wall.

“That’s enough, Arkeville!” someone shouted. There was a flabby sort of impact noise, as if that someone had punched a deflated football. The sounds of many heavy boots clomping into the room thundered in Nova’s ears. Soldier’s boots.

“Get ‘er outta there, boys!”

Strong hands pried open the cuffs on her wrists and feet, and before she knew it, Nova was in someone’s arms.

“Hey, kid? Kid, are you alright?”

Nova took one look at the blurred, masked human face before her, and lashed out at it in a horrible fright, writhing out of the soldier’s grip and staggering out the door. Her armor jutted out out in erratic patches, her eyes were glassy and wide, and her ears were filled with shrill ringing.

No. Not ringing. What was that horrible sound?

She pressed her hands to her ears. It was Coby — screaming.

Nova screamed louder, trying to drown out the awful noise — the awful memory, and she ran as fast as she could. The white halls stretched before her, and she stumbled through them at a desperate pace, trying to find a way out. In her mind, Nova was back in MECH’s facility, on that very day. There were monsters in lab coats and hazmat suits, chasing her down. Endless halls twisted and turned her about, making her even more desperate for an escape, and then… Ah! Yes! there was a door — a door at last! — and she burst through it without decreasing her speed, sending the door flying off its hinges, shattered glass sprinkling the ground.

Nova staggered out into bright daylight with only one urgent thought on her mind.

Run.

“There she is!” A voice cried behind her. Nova did not turn around to see who it was, turning and sprinting away as fast as her body would allow. The whole world was fuzzy and made of bleeding light. Where was the sun? Where was the sun?

Nova charged away from the voices and the screams in a desperate panic. One of her legs was refusing to work properly, but she did not know why. She could barely think at all.

Dimly, she spotted a corner, and rounded it at full speed. She crashed into something hard, that clanged, and sent her reeling backwards.

“Nova?” a deep voice asked. “What happened to you?”

She looked up above her, relief flooding her veins and weakening her entire body.

“Optimus!”

She wobbled, and her knees collapsed, but she felt something strong sweeping her off the ground and carrying her to a safe height, far away from the earth. Far away from everyone.

“Nova!” Optimus said, his voice carrying no small hint of shock. “Who did this to you?”

“MECH,” she choked, pointing in some direction. “Back there…”

She looked down at the ground, and screamed, terror pumping through her anew. All around her safe tower were dozens of black-clad soldiers, with weapons in their hands. They were blurred, and faint, but they were there. The half-spark could only see MECH soldiers — everywhere.

“They’re gonna get me!” Nova screamed, clinging to his thumb joint. “They’re gonna get me!”

Optimus drew himself up to his full height and swept his terrible gaze over the soldiers, who suddenly found themselves more hesitant to fire on the giant robot. Nova screamed uncontrollably, then burst into tears, dropping her head into Optimus’ palm.

But before anyone could be seriously hurt, an authoritative voice rang out —

“What in the Sam Hill is goin’ on here?!”

“Agent Fowler, what is the meaning of this?” Optimus asked. “You gave me your word Nova would not be harmed.”

“That was the plan,” he said, with no small amount of irritation. He gestured to the soldiers around him. “Stand down, boys, I’ll take it from here.”

“But, sir—”

“I said, _stand_ _down!_ ” Fowler interrupted, with such authority in his voice that the soldier actually stepped back.

“Right away, sir.”

The soldiers marched back into the building, and Fowler rubbed at his face wearily.

“This wasn’t the way it was supposed to go,” he said quietly.

“What did they do to her?” Optimus demanded.

Fowler shook his head. “I dunno. But something happened in that interrogation room that none of us planned for. The interrogator was Dr. Henry Arkeville, a psychoanalyst who’s been working with us for years.” He grumbled. “I mean, he might’ve been working with us, but he wasn’t workin’ for us. We have reason to believe he’s workin’ for MECH, and he was tryna do somethin’ to the kid. He’s been taken into custody.”

“That will not change what happened to Nova,” Optimus said. From the rattling of tense metal and the low rumbling of his engine, Fowler could tell that the Prime was very, _very_ upset, and it was not hard to see why.

Nova had withdrawn into Optimus’ hand, curled up in the fetal position and taking in short, shallow breaths. She had stopped screaming and crying, but she was a mess — blue tears mixed with the burns on her face and hands, her armor partway off and haphazard on the whole, and her eyes… her eyes stared at nothing, but looked as if her gaze went on forever, staring into eternity.

“What’s wrong with her?” Fowler asked. “I’ve never seen her so scared before.”

“I have,” Optimus said grimly. “I think it would be best if we took our leave of you, Agent Fowler.”

“Does she … Is she gonna be all right?” Fowler asked.

Optimus shook his head. “I do not know.”

Fowler sighed, swearing under his breath.

“All right,” he said. “You go on and do whatever you have to do. I’ll take care of things around here.”

The Prime looked at him with genuine gratitude. “Thank you, Agent Fowler.”

He transformed, Nova in his hands, and drove out through the main gate. The sentries were happy to let him pass. Once he had gone, Fowler breathed a sigh and shook his head, putting his hands on his hips.

“You see what kinda bull I got to deal with today, George? Man, it just burns me up to see that kid…”

He put a hand to his eyes. Then, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number, putting it to his ear.

“Operator? This is Special Agent William Fowler. Get me General Bryce.”

He waited. Then, finally, Bryce picked up.

_“What is it, Fowler?”_

  
“Bryce. We have a situation,” Agent Fowler said, pacing to and fro as he spoke on the phone. “Turns out the psych interrogator for the kid was Dr Arkeville.”

_“So? We checked out his files. He’s fully certified.”_

“He’s most likely an informant for MECH, and he’s been putting the kid under psychological torture for the past hour,” Fowler said angrily. “Did you know about this?”

_“You know I didn’t. Where’d you put him?”_

“We’re arrangin’ transport to the nearest federal prison,” Fowler replied. “He’ll need to be detained by more reliable hands in the future. He's dangerous, and we suspect he might be cybernetically enhanced as well. You’re sure you didn’t know about any of this?”

_“I told you, no.”_

“With all due respect, sir,” Fowler said, rolling his eyes. “If that information managed to get lost somewhere between his files and my desk, then there’s probably more of them in the works.”

Bryce swore on the other end.

 _“We need to take care of this before it gets out of hand,”_ he growled.

“I’m afraid it already might be outta hand, sir,” Fowler said. “As of today, we can’t trust anyone.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Nova sat quietly in Optimus’ passenger side, her hands balled into fists in her lap. She was staring, listlessly, at her shaking legs, unable to tear her gaze away. Her armor had settled back into her spine, and the burns on her face were beginning to heal, but she was still trembling uncontrollably with something much colder than fear.

Optimus’ seatbelt was pulled tightly around her, as if he hadn’t quite convinced himself that she was safe. His engine rumbled much louder than it should have, and — Primus, forgive him — he was fighting the urge to transform that very instant and lay waste to the entire human race for what they did to her.

Suddenly, Nova’s body jerked against the seatbelt, making Optimus swerve slightly.

“Coby!” she screamed, her eyes wide. “I can hear him! He’s so close, Optimus! Can you hear him?!”

“Nova—”

“I can get him! He’s right there! Look — there he is!” She began to pound on his window. “Let me out! I can help him! I can help him!”

The truck screeched to a stop. Luckily, they had made it out of the city and were driving on a slow road with room to pull over, but these outbursts had happened consistently every five minutes since they left.

“Let me out!” Nova shouted, beginning to cry again. “I can hear him! I can hear him!”

“Ignore it,” Optimus said firmly, tightening the seatbelt. “Nova! Ignore it!”

He saved that tone specifically for serious moments like this, and Nova knew it.

“Focus on my voice only,” he intoned. “Do you understand?”

She put her hands over her ears, sinking forward as the seatbelt loosened, resting her head on his glove compartment.

“Okay,” she whimpered, sobbing quietly. “Okay.”

“You are safe now,” Optimus said, a little softer. “You do not need to be afraid.”

“B-but he almost put that thing…” Nova shuddered. “He almost got into in my head… He — he got into Coby’s head…”

Optimus had heard her story about her time in the Nemesis laboratory, and her encounter with the cortical psychic patch. He knew how afraid she had been afterwards, and how many nightmares had chased her around for several nights because of it. And today — today that slagging _Dr. Arkeville_ had done it to her again.

His engine rumbled again, and he tried to regain his control, but he found his wrath beginning to grow as he listened to her cry.

“I know,” he said. “I am … deeply sorry, Nova. I should have been there to protect you.”

Her tears fell faster, and she curled up against his window with a look of awful sadness etched into her eyes.

“But as long as I am alive, I will never leave you again,” continued her guardian, his steering wheel blinking. “I promise.”

Nova sat there for a minute, sniffling as she looked out the glass.

“Optimus?”

“Yes?”

“Are you…” she shifted a little. “Are you angry?”

For a moment, Optimus considered the question. He thought about Nova’s pain that he felt throbbing in his limbs because of the torture she had just gone through. He thought about the pain that they both felt every day — the pain that could not be seen, but could be felt more sharply than any wound. He thought of the many ways this half-spark had suffered, all because she was different.

He thought about how fragile she was, and he thought of how many people wanted to break her.

Lastly, he remembered watching her tears trickle into his hand, and he realized — with a sudden surge of terrible energy — that he _was_ angry. Dangerously angry.

“Yes,” he said. “I am.”

“Why?”

“Because you were put in danger,” he replied. “Because I allowed you to be put in danger.”

“B-but you saved me.”

“I was too _late_!” Optimus said, louder. “I was … too late.”

Nova thought she heard his roaring engine stutter a little.

She curled up in his seat, pressing her cheek against the headrest. She knew he could feel her physical pain, but his emotions were his own. She had never seen him this close to losing control before.

Gradually, the engine of the truck settled to the regular, comforting rhythm that was so familiar. At the same time, Nova managed to slow her staggered breathing, and her tears dried on her cheeks at long last.

They must have sat beside that quiet road for at least twenty minutes before Optimus said something.

“Would you like to go home?”

She shook her head against his seat.

“I’m too tired,” she murmured.

“Then rest.”

She made a noise of refusal. “Don’t wanna.”

“Why not?”

“Because I know what I’ll see if I go to sleep,” she sighed, her eyes taking on the most exhausted look Optimus had ever seen on a human face.

“I … I don’t want to see it anymore,” she whispered. “I see it all the time, and I want it to just … go away. Do you know what that’s like?”

“You know that I do.”

Optimus began to drive again. He did not have a destination in mind. He did not intend to bring her back to the base until she had calmed a little. Ratchet would be furious when he found out what had happened, and that would only make matters worse.

“Please, Nova, rest,” he said in a low voice. “You are safe now.”

The half-spark yawned, lulled by the sound of his engine. He could tell she was already falling asleep.

“Where’re we going?” she asked groggily.

“For a drive.” 

“Oh, good,” she sighed, cradling her head in the seatbelt. “Sounds nice.”

Optimus thoroughly agreed.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Arkeville sat quietly in his cell, fiddling with his wrist mechanisms from time to time. It appeared to the guard that he was suffering from the monotony of jail time, but in reality, Arkeville was sending a coded message to his superiors with very slight electrical signals.

_Failed to retrieve Experiment 011. Subject has not been implanted with neural chip. Successfully analyzed mental state. Results: Subject shows strong symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Easily influenced by verbal triggers, mnemonic cues, and familial bonds. Prone to irrational judgment and aggression when manipulated. Conclusion: Subject may be easily implanted, once location is discovered. Mission in progress._

“Hey! What are you doing in there?” The guard demanded, hitting the bars with the butt of his gun.

“Nothing, my good man,” Arkeville replied amicably, rotating his prosthetic wrist. “Merely solving a problem, is all.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

That night, Ratchet put down his tools and turned away from the medical table to face Optimus.

“I’ve given her a mild sedative,” Ratchet said quietly. “She’ll be able to rest without nightmares for a while.”

“Thank you, old friend,” Optimus replied.

“Now,” Ratchet said, folding his arms. “Before you lose your normally unwavering temper and wage war on the humans, I suggest you take a seat and tell me exactly what happened today."

Optimus did so, lowering himself onto one of the storage containers and telling the whole story, from his perspective. Agent Fowler’s interview with General Bryce had not gone well, and Optimus had been called in to intervene when the general remained unconvinced of his intent. Shortly afterwards, Optimus had felt a searing pain in his limbs, though the sensation was not his own, and Fowler immediately departed to find Nova. Optimus confided in Ratchet that the pain had felt like being electrocuted by Knock Out’s staff.

Then, before Fowler had returned, Nova had crashed into his leg.

“I imagine you were … upset to see her that way,” Ratchet said.

Optimus looked at the little girl lying on the medical table. “I was unable to defend her, Ratchet.”

“No, you weren't,” Ratchet replied. “You weren't unable to do anything. You could have insisted that she remain with you every second of the day, and if she was taken from you, you could have laid waste to the entire Pentagon, easily. You were _able_ to do whatever you wanted.”

Optimus met his optics. “Then why did I not?”

“Because you’re not like Megatron,” Ratchet said. “Even though you _can_ do something, you have enough discernment to know whether or not you _should_ do it. Nova is safer now, because if you had done what you were able to do, the humans’ government would have hunted you both down — until you were killed or she was.” He placed a hand on Optimus’ shoulder. “You did the right thing.”

“And she suffers for it.”

“Alongside you, yes,” said Ratchet. “I’m afraid it is something you will both have to bear.”

“Is there any way I might alleviate her sorrow?” Optimus asked. “I do not think it just that she is forced to bear her own pain as well as mine.”

“Why not?” Ratchet asked. “You do that all the time. The best way to help her is by moving on. The more you become angry about this and blame yourself, the more Nova will think it’s her own fault. She’s got it into her head somehow that she’s a bother — a liability, and she's only been causing us trouble.”

“But that is not true—”

“You and I know that, but she doesn’t. You two must learn to support one another, and care for each other, until this passes or until I can find a medical solution to it. In the meantime—” here he got up and walked to his computer. “You need to stop blaming yourself and focus on our other problems. You might not have heard, but there is a war on.”

Optimus sighed. “You are right, old friend.”

“As per fragging usual."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, guys! Have a great Friday!


	14. Armada

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Nova gets sick, and things happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, it's me, the writer-who-posts-later-than-intended! In my defense, a lot of things have been happening lately. Night shift is a beast. 
> 
> Anyway, here's the next very late chapter! It's a little hard to read, because I literally was sick when I wrote this, but hey, I've finally finished, take it or leave it. 
> 
> Have an awesome day, everyone!
> 
> (P.S., this chapter coincides with the Armada chapter in Ship of Fools, if you want to read this from the Vehicons' perspective.)
> 
> Epigraph: 
> 
> "You meet people who forget you. You forget people you meet. But sometimes you meet those people you can't forget. Those are your friends."  
> -Mark Twain

“Ratchet?” Miko called in a singsong voice, leaning over the railing. “Raaatch-et?”

Ratchet shot a look at her which would have probably incinerated a normal human in an instant. She was unfazed, which only made Ratchet angrier.

“Miko, I’m working,” he said curtly, and turned back to the computer. “I’m waiting for Bulkhead to check in.”

“But I’m _bored_ ,” Miko said, appearing to lose all muscle function as she slumped dramatically over the bars.

“So what?” Ratchet asked.

“So there’s nothing to _do,”_ she groaned. “Can I go scout with Bulkhead? Pleease?”

“No. You’re on restriction. Remember what happened last week?”

“But that was an _accident_!” she protested.

Ratchet glanced at her.

Miko shrugged. “Mostly.”

“Encouraging Bulkhead to backflip off of a cliff into a harbor in the middle of the night — with you in the water — is _not_ an accident.”

“But I didn’t mean for him to land on his face!” Miko said. “That was an accident! Right?”

Ratchet turned back to his computer with a sigh. “Miko, I am trying to work. Go bother the other children for a while.”

“They’re gone, remember?” she pointed out. “Jack’s working all day, and Raf’s on vacation.”

“Then go draw, or watch television, or something.”

Miko groaned. “But all they have on TV is drama movies and rom-coms, and I’m out of green and red pencils.”

“Perfect!” Ratchet said. “You can do your chores.”

Miko groaned louder.

The commlink beeped, and Bulkhead reported in.

_“Bulkhead to base. Picked up a strong reading. I’m gonna go check it out.”_

“Let me talk to him!” Miko demanded, leaning out over the railing.

“Yip-ip!” Ratchet said, flicking her hands away. “No touching. I don’t want you distracting Bulkhead. We’ve been low on Energon lately.”

“Awwgh,” Miko growled, folding her arms. “You’re no fun at all.”

“Good.” Ratchet waved her off. “Why don’t you go bother Nova? She should be awake.”

Miko grumbled. “I wish Jack didn’t have to work today.”

She stomped rather ungraciously over to the medibay where, sure enough, Optimus was sitting beside the medical slab, going over some inventory datapads. The Prime was really sitting back here to watch over Nova, but everybody knew that already.  
He looked up from the datapads as Miko approached.

“Hello, Miko,” he said kindly.

Miko just grumbled, throwing herself dramatically onto the steps of the stairwell.

Optimus glanced at her, and put the data pad down.

“Is something wrong?” he inquired.

She rested her cheek on her fist, sighing again.

“I’m bored,” she muttered morosely.

“I see,” Optimus said, even though he didn’t. “Does Ratchet not have a task for you?”

“Sure, he does, but they’re all boring,” she said. “Jack and Raf aren’t even texting, Bee, Bulkhead and Arcee are out scouting, and Novster is, well…” she flapped a hand at the sleeping half-spark. “Out.”

Optimus looked in the direction of her hand.

“Nova should awaken soon,” he said.

“Yeah, but it won’t be the same,” Miko grumbled. “She’s always sad, or mad, or tired and doesn’t want to do anything but talk to you most of the time. She’s not happy like she used to be. I don’t even know how to talk to her anymore.”

Optimus considered for a minute.

“I believe she is happy, Miko,” he said slowly. “I am uncertain if she will ever be the same again, but I know she enjoys spending time with us.”

Miko leaned back until her head hit the staircase with a _thunk_.

“Still bored,” she groaned. “Sometimes I think the Decepticons have more fun."

Optimus smiled a little. “I highly doubt it.”

Suddenly, Miko sat up. Optimus saw a certain look in her eyes that everyone in the Autobot base knew meant trouble.

“I have an idea,” Miko said.

Oh, no.

Miko giggled with dark glee. “I’m gonna go steal the Fenderbender and see if Ratchet notices!”

Ratchet’s wrench, or the Fenderbender, as the others called it, was the medic’s most prized possession, and the only tool Optimus could recall that had never been broken by Bulkhead or Wheeljack before. He wasn’t quite sure it _could_ be broken.

Ratchet used the Fenderbender for repairing almost everything he worked on, from fuel lines to floor panels, but that was not the primary function of the versatile wrench. Its primary function was discipline, or as Ratchet liked to call it, “forceful correction.”

The Fenderbender was often used as a projectile, a club, a prod, a baton, a spear, or anything else remotely harmful that the medic could conjure up, and, to the Autobot’s eternal terror, Ratchet’s imagination had no limits when it came to that wrench. His blows came spontaneously, when you least expected it. To make things worse, Ratchet’s aim — like his sarcasm — was frighteningly precise and painful, and he did not miss easily.

He would make a disturbingly good sniper, if he had the inclination.

Bulkhead was the Fenderbender’s most regular target, but Bumblebee and Wheeljack had both been known to get “wrenched” on several occasions. To date, Arcee and the Prime himself were the only two Autobots who had not experienced the wrath of the Fenderbender, but that was mostly because Optimus knew how to duck.

Thinking about it now, Optimus was not entirely certain Ratchet would hesitate to use the wrench on a human, and he was even less certain Ratchet would hesitate to use it on Miko. Especially if she dared to touch it.

Optimus acted quickly, before she could fulfill her death wish.

“Would you like to hear a story instead?” Optimus asked, turning her gently away from the stairwell.

“A story?” Miko asked, excitedly.

Thank Primus her attention span was short.

“What kinda story?” she demanded. “A war story? With blood? And Decepticons? And kicking the scrap outta people?”

Optimus raised an eyebrow.

Miko shrugged. “I like those stories.”

“I am not surprised,” Optimus said, smiling a little. “You remind me of a mech I once knew.”

“Who was he?” Miko asked. “Was he cool? How many Decepticons could he trash?”

"He was a great warrior,” Optimus said. “Of a caliber and skill that exceeded some of the best Wreckers.”

Miko gasped. “Awesome.”

“Indeed. He was a loyal soldier, and a true friend. He may not have been skilled when it came to public relations, or to peaceful conversation in general,” Optimus mused. “But he did save my life, several times over. And many times, he encouraged me to go on when I thought I was unfit to lead the Autobots.”

“That’s awesome! What was his name?” Miko asked.

“His name was Ironhide.”

Miko’s eyes widened. “Even his name is awesome!”

She scooted closer and looked up at the Prime. “Well? Go ahead! Tell me a story about him!”

Optimus thought for a moment.

“This story begins at the end of the Siege of Praxus,” he said. Miko thought his rich voice was excellent for storytelling.

“We had been fighting for decacycles. The Autobot ranks were surrounded, severely depleted on every front, and the Decepticons were advancing upon the city. The walls of the city were strong, but the soldiers were weakening, and we would not be able to hold a line for long. We had received an ultimatum from the Decepticon commanders: Surrender, or be destroyed.”

Optimus paused for a moment.

“I requested reinforcements from Iacon,” he continued, “but the Decepticon barricade had taken over the comms tower and cut off all transmissions to and from the city. No help would come.”

“What did you do?” Miko asked eagerly, her chin on her hands.

“I gathered the remaining soldiers together in the city capital,” Optimus said, a light of remembrance in his eyes as he recalled that day. “Our plan was to take a small team to infiltrate the communications tower and get a message through to Iacon. I volunteered, perhaps a little too quickly.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“There’s ten guards,” Tracks reported, keeping his voice low. “They seem ready for our arrival.”

A quiet sigh went up from a few members of the group as they crouched behind the grimy scrap piles. Bluestreak kept his scope trained on the communications tower, quietly watching for any trouble.

“I don’t think this is gonna work,” Gears grumbled folding his arms over his diminutive chassis. “They’re always a step ahead.”

The others nodded in silent agreement, their faces downcast.

Optimus glanced around at the five other soldiers. They looked as tired as he felt.

How was he supposed to lead these mechs? He knew next to nothing about fighting a war, much less winning one. What on earth had made the Matrix choose him to be the leader? He wasn’t a warrior, or a fighter. Megatron had said as much when they first met. Orion Pax was just a lowly archivist. How could he be the leader everyone needed?

He felt a hand clap on his shoulder. He did not have to look to know who it was.

“Go on, Prime,” Ironhide murmured. “They need ta remember what they’re fightin’ for. Show ‘em how it’s done.”

Ironhide was right. He knew that the young leader felt just as hopeless as those under his command. But Ironhide’s simple gesture had given courage to his friend, and it was then that the Prime knew; he _would_ do this. He was not Orion Pax anymore. He was Optimus Prime, and Ironhide would be there to remind him of it every step of the way.

He took in a breath.

“Autobots, we must not lose hope,” he said softly, looking at each of them steadily. “We have to hold this city. The people of Cybertron — our friends, our families — are counting on us to fight on. We will not disappoint them today.”

Nods and grins went around the group as the soldiers looked at each other.

“We’re with you, Prime,” Tracks said, smiling as he cocked his blaster.

“With you all the way.”

“We can do this!”

Optimus took a breath.

“Tracks, take Bluestreak and the others and surround the tower,” he said. “We will all need to strike at the same time.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Ironhide, you’re with me,” Optimus continued. “We will cause a diversion and draw their fire.”

“You got it, chief.”

“All right, Autobots,” said Optimus, readying himself as he lifted his guns. “Roll out.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“What happened next?” Miko demanded.

“We took the tower within the hour, and then marched the rest of our forces through the gates of Praxus, driving into the middle of the Decepticon blockade,” Optimus said. “They were unprepared for our attack, and we threw them into enough disarray to send an emergency transmission to Iacon. Within a few hours, reinforcements arrived, and we drove back the Decepticon army. Many brave Autobots fell that day.” Optimus hesitated, a look of old, familiar sorrow in his face. “But the victory was ours.”

He fell silent for a long moment.

“Did Ironhide die?” Miko asked finally.

Optimus stirred, and looked at her.

“No,” he replied. “Ironhide went on to become my second-in-command. He fought beside me many times. I never forgot what he did for me that day, or what he did for me many days after.”

“Cool,” Miko breathed, a look of awe in her eyes. “Tell me another one!”

Optimus smiled.

“There was a time when Ironhide broke protocol and went alone on an unauthorized mission,” Optimus said, eliciting a squeal of delight from the girl.

“Secret solo missions! That’s _my_ thing!”

Optimus found her enthusiasm rather contagious.

“In the early days of the war, the Decepticons had captured an elite commander in our ranks, a femme by the name of Chromia,” Optimus continued. “Ironhide was … not pleased when he heard the news.”

Miko glanced at him suspiciously. “Is this a story about kissy stuff?”

“Not until the ending.”

“Well, what happens in the beginning?”

For most of the day, Optimus told her several stories about Cybertron and the beginnings of the war, about battles won and lost, about the fall of Crystal City, and even a little bit about the Dinobots. Eventually, after Arcee and Bumblebee had returned from patrol, he told longer stories, about the days of peace he remembered, of old friends he had known, and old places he had loved, before any of them were born.

He kept some things secret, of course. There were some things about his past — some hidden precious things — that only a certain half-spark and medic were allowed to hear.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Bulkhead woke to a loud rumbling, like the sound of heavy flight engines. His optics struggled to focus, and his head pounded with sudden pain. Why was everything so loud?

“Ugh,” he groaned, sitting up and placing a hand on his head. “Oh, my head-gasket.”

As his eyes came into focus, he realized something. This place looked familiar, and not in a good way.

“What the—”

He looked around. Dark, metal-plated room, glowing violet accent lights, stacks upon stacks of processed Energon cubes…

“The Cons’ warship?” Bulkhead asked himself, backing up in astonishment. His heel struts dipped suddenly, and he spun around, just in time to avoid the open port in the belly of the ship. “Whoa!”

He had been very close to tripping and plummeting through thin air. The ship was soaring high above the clouds, miles up in the air.

 _Better stay away from that,_ he thought to himself. _This place is a slagging death trap._

“Ratchet, don’t ask me how I got here — _long_ story,” Bulkhead said into his comms.

To his surprise, there was no response. No static, no feedback, nothing.

“Ratchet. You copy?”

No answer.

“Oh, scrap,” Bulkhead growled. He’d have to make it on his own. Which wouldn’t be easy; the place was probably crawling with Cons.

As cautiously and quietly as he could, Bulkhead tiptoed through the door, with a wary glance up and down the hallway. No Cons. That was a relief.

“Stealthy … stealthy…” he muttered.

He jumped at a sudden noise. Footsteps.

Frag, there were Cons after all. Three troopers, headed straight for him.

Bulkhead turned to dart back into the Energon storage room, but the door shut in his face. His body slammed up against it clumsily. Apparently, it had an automatic lock.

Panicking, trying to make himself look small — which was a challenge, believe it or not — Bulkhead ducked behind a corner just as the patrolling troopers walked by. They took no notice of him.

Gradually, Bulkhead eased out from his position and backed away from the troopers, keeping an eye on them, making sure they didn’t see his escape —

Until something sharp slammed into his back.

Bulkhead whipped around, guns at the ready, only to be greeted by a familiar face. Again, not familiar in a good way.

“Starscream?!”

His wings still flared, the Seeker lowered his own guns and groaned in exasperation.

“Why is it,” he seethed, “that _every_ time I return to my old stomping grounds, I find an Autobot roaming the halls?”

He glared at Bulkhead in disgust. Bulkhead’s reaction was mutual.

“Don’t tell me you came crawling back to Megatron,” he growled.

The Seeker stiffened in indignation. “Hardly. Now, out of my way.”

He tried to walk past the Wrecker, but Bulkhead raised his hands, moving to block his path.

“Scream, you gotta show me the way off this boat,” he said, getting straight to the point. He didn’t want to be here any longer than he needed to be.

“Sorry, too busy,” Starscream replied. Strangely enough, he did seem to be busy. There was a sense of urgency about him; Bulkhead got the distinct feeling that the Seeker was supposed to be somewhere else. But Bulkhead didn’t care. He was supposed to be somewhere else, too.

“Look,” he growled, pointing a finger into Starscream’s scrawny chest. “When _you_ needed help—”

“As I recall, we _bartered,_ ” Starscream interrupted, angrily sweeping his arm away, “So, unless you have anything of value to offer me; step aside!”

Bulkhead began to get really angry.

“The exit. Now!”

Starscream’s eyebrows flared. “I may have given Arcee a free pass when she and I last met — !”

He slashed his talons across Bulkhead’s chest, shaving off a shower of sparks and causing the Wrecker to stumble back.

“— But I won’t hesitate to skewer you as I did a certain Cliffjumper,” Starscream hissed, glaring at the Wrecker.

Bulkhead grunted in pain, moving his shaking hand away from his chest to reveal the gashes that the talons had carved into his chassis.

He looked at Starscream, and then the Seeker realized his fatal mistake.

“Rrraaauugh!” Bulkhead roared, charging forward. He formed his mace and slammed it up into Starscream, sending the smaller mech flying.

Starscream hit the floor with a groan, but sat up almost instantly with his guns ratcheted back, an expression of rage in his face.

“Perish, Bulkhead!” he snarled.

But Bulkhead was bigger and stronger than he was, and he was _angry_. He leapt into the air with another roar and slammed his mace down onto the terrified Seeker, over and over again.

“This is for Cliffjumper!”

_Crash!_

“For Bumblebee!”

_Crash!_

“For everything.”

_Crash!_

With a final blow from the Wrecker’s mace, the Seeker stopped struggling, and Bulkhead could see the light fading from what was left of his eyes.

Before he could think better of his decision, Bulkhead knew it was too late. Starscream was dead.

Panting, the Wrecker stepped away from the Seeker in horror. Realizing what he had done, Bulkhead deactivated his mace and glanced down at his hands.

“He … left me no choice,” he said to himself.

Even still, there was a horrible sense of guilt leaking into his Spark.

_What did I just do?_

It didn’t matter. It really was going to slow him down if he kept thinking about it. Someone had probably heard the noise. If Soundwave was on board, he would definitely already have heard it.

Bulkhead dragged the body into the nearest storage closet and left it there, looking around the hall for anything he could use to get off the ship.

The nearest door was standing wide open, revealing the familiar array of computer monitors and keypads that told Bulkhead only one thing.

“A comm unit!”

He rushed over to the computer, and almost groaned in frustration.

_Of course, it all had to be Decepticon-friendly stuff. Why can’t they have normal comm keypads like everyone else?_

He began to press the buttons that looked most familiar. He could do this. He could do this.

“Bulkhead to base. Do you read?”

The glowing display of the planet spun before him, giving no indication that his message had even been delivered. He kept pressing buttons.

“Do you copy?” Bulkhead said, his voice taking on a desperate edge. This whole ship was giving him a bad feeling in his transistors. Their computers were no help. He pressed more buttons

“Stupid Con tech,” he grumbled, trying to figure it out. “Is this thing even on?”

As he pressed every wrong button, the system suddenly flared with a red light, and ringing alarms began to blare from the monitor. Bulkhead put his hands over his audio receptors.

_Scrap!_

He panicked for a second, gathered his wits and glanced down at the keyboard, hitting the center button quickly. Mercifully, the alarms stopped.

“Whew,” he breathed, sliding his hand away from his audial. _Think they heard that?_

The sudden sound of a door sliding open gave him the answer. Bulkhead bolted, trying to get out of sight of the two Vehicons entering the room. Knowing he couldn’t outrun them, he ducked into an adjoining hall and waited, not daring to make a sound.

“Halt!” the Vehicons shouted, charging past his hiding place. Thank Primus they hadn’t seen him.

_I really have to get outta here._

Bulkhead fled the scene, painfully aware of how obnoxious his footsteps were. Why did he have to be so loud?

Behind him, blinking quietly, an icon flashed onto the monitor screen. A Decepticon beacon had been activated.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“Optimus,” Ratchet said, calling the others over. “No word yet from Bulkhead. But I am detecting some rather curious subterranean frequencies.”

“Of Earthly origin?” Optimus inquired.

Ratchet pressed a few buttons on the computer. “I do not yet know _what_ they are, but I do know _where_.”

A red dot pinged on the map, in a familiar location.

“The coordinates at which we last encountered Megatron,” Optimus observed.

“And Airachnid,” Arcee said, her voice laced with hate.

“ _And_ Airachnid’s Insecticon,” Ratchet reminded them, turning from his monitor.

Bumblebee buzzed in remembrance. They would have to be careful.

“I’ll lock on the Groundbridge coordinates,” Ratchet said.

Optimus looked around. “Where is Miko?”

Arcee shrugged. “She was here a minute ago.”

The Prime made his way to the back of the base. Miko was there, curled up in a ball underneath the medical table.

Optimus bent down. “Miko?”

Miko was on the edge of tears. She looked out at him, her eyes glistening.

“Where is he?” she asked. “He’s been gone for a whole day! What if he’s — what if he’s…”

She broke off, hiding her head in her arms.

“Ratchet informed us that Bulkhead is fine,” Optimus said. “His vitals are unchanged. He will be back home soon.”

Miko sniffled. “Are you sure?”

Optimus nodded. “Yes. And when he returns, I know he will be very happy to see you.”

The girl, smiling, got to her feet and wiped her eyes a little.

“Yeah, you’re — you’re probably right,” Miko said, her face brightening.

Optimus looked solemnly at who lay on the top of the table. Nova had still not awakened. She looked very pale, and still. If it were not for the vitals beside the bed, pinging steadily, Optimus would have thought …

He stifled his worry, and looked down as the girl emerged from beneath the table.

“Miko, I have an important assignment for you,” he said authoritatively, causing the girl to lift her head.

“Huh?”

“I want you to protect Nova until I return,” Optimus said, bending down a little to look her in the eye. “Can I trust you with this essential task?”

Her face brightening almost immediately, Miko snapped to attention. “Yes, _sir_!”

Was this a wise decision?

Probably not.

“I have full confidence in your ability,” Optimus saluted. “At ease, soldier.”

Miko snapped her arm down and immediately marched to the medical table, intent on beginning her “task,” as it were. She tried to scramble up the leg of the bed, and slid back down, landing on the floor with a thump. She got up, and bounced with her arms outstretched, trying to catch the edge, but she was too short.

Miko growled, jumped one last time, and shrieked with joy as she felt her body surge upwards, propelled by a strong hand that boosted her up and set her down gently on the table.

“Thanks!” she said, turning around and giving Optimus a thumbs-up. With that, she crouched beside Nova, watching her vital monitors intently.

For a moment, Optimus paused in concern, looking at Nova. Something troubled him. Something told him not to leave. Something familiar felt wrong in his tanks; a sense of fatigue, or illness.

Optimus turned and walked away before he could change his mind. He had to stop being so protective.

“Open the Groundbridge, old friend,” Optimus said, approaching Ratchet. “Autobots, prepare to roll out.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Airachnid reveled in the feeling of being in complete sync with her hundreds of warriors, her multitudes of servants, the Insecticons which bent to her every will. Her first servant had been loyal enough, but sadly, he had not lasted long against Megatron, and her first attempt at revenge was thwarted.

But ever since she had found an entire hive of his brothers in this cave, hidden away in the depths of the planet’s mountains, Airachnid had known revenge would finally be hers. She bided her time, and waited for the right moment to bring her power to bear against the warlord once again. And when the Decepticon beacon had finally been activated, she knew, finally, that this was the day she would taste vengeance.

She leaned down to the entrance to the cave with a hint of a smile, her many legs curled into her back, and she cried:

“Arise, my armada, and attack!”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

The first sight that greeted the Autobots as they exited the Groundbridge was not a welcome one. Hordes of Insecticons spurted out from between the rocks of the mountain and shot into the air, taking flight and swarming in the sky. The Insecticons were not even aware of the Autobots’ presence, and traveled in a specific direction with clear intent.

Optimus took one look, and voiced what they were all thinking.

“We are in all likelihood witnessing the launch of a mission to terminate Megatron,” he said, walking towards the cliff and looking down.

“I can’t think of a reason to stop that,” Arcee said, staring up at the horde. “Even if we could."

“But we can stop Airachnid,” Optimus replied, looking down at the spider like femme, who gazed out at her armada with twisted, gleeful pride.

Optimus armed his battle mask, and the Autobots charged their weapons, aiming directly for Airachnid.

Unfortunately, she heard the sound.

“Rear guard,” she commanded clearly. “Engage the Autobots.”

Prime looked up in surprise as six Insecticons broke off from the group and spiraled down towards them, ion cannons locked and loaded.

The Autobots leapt back, shielding themselves as the Insecticons rained laser fire on the mountain, sending up plumes of red fire and smoke.

Airachnid turned to watch, pleased, as the three hapless Autobots disappeared in the fog of black. But suddenly, the vehicle form of Arcee shot out from the cloud, trailing smoke from her wheels and landing just where Airachnid stood, causing the spider to retreat. Optimus and Bumblebee, their lasers lighting up with blue fire, stood atop the mountain, downing one Insecticon after another as Arcee pursued the renegade femme alone, in hot pursuit of her nemesis.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Nova woke up slowly, and the first thing she saw was a shadowy, human shape, poised above her.

Terrified, Nova reacted the only way she knew how. Adrenaline shot through her body, spurring her into instant fight mode.

“Ah!”

Nova flailed, screaming, trying to knock the person away. But it grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her back down.

She struggled harder. She had been caught belly-up. She was vulnerable. It was going to kill her!

Nova’s armor snapped over her arms in record time as she charged up her weapons and shoved the person back. “Get _off_ me!”

“Whoa, whoa, Novster!” the person said, scrambling away as Nova raised her guns. “Chill out! It’s only me!”

Breathing hard, Nova blinked rapidly, trying to force air into her lungs. The shadows cleared from her eyes as she gaped up at the girl.

“Miko?!” she choked.

“Uh, duh!” Miko said, frightened and more than a little irritated. “Who’d ya think it was?”

Nova let her head fall back, gasping. Her armor fell away from her body.

“Miko,” she whispered. “Please don’t scare me like that.”

“Um … I’m sorry.” Miko still stayed a safe distance from her, eyeing the half-spark warily. “Uh… Nova? Were you really gonna … you know … kill me?”

The question dangled in the air. Nova squeezed her eyes shut, and shuddered with the thought of what she had almost done to Miko. Her hands tingled, and went slick with sweat. Her head pounded.

“Miko, I’m — I’m so sorry,” she began to ramble. “I — I didn’t know it was you; honest. I was just tired and you scared me, and I thought I was somewhere else—” She swallowed, trying to force some moisture down her dry throat. “I don’t know what I thought. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

Miko cocked her head to the side, surveying Nova’s face.

“Uh, Nova, are you okay?” she asked cautiously. “You look kinda…” she waved her hand a little. “Off.”

At the moment, Nova didn’t even have the strength to wipe away the beads of sweat trickling down her forehead. Something was wrong. Her hands felt clammy. Why was it so cold in the medibay? And why did her tongue feel like a swelling lump of clay in her mouth?

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she forced herself to say. “Where — where’s everyone?”

“Out fighting Cons,” Miko replied. “Bulkhead’s been gone all day. He went out to find Energon and never checked in. I’m kinda worried about him. But maybe he’ll get the chance to trash some Insecticons! And Airachnid’s shown up again, so maybe Arcee will get to beat her nemesis. I bet they’re on some awesome Con scrapping mission right now. Maybe they’re even beating up Megatron! Wouldn’t that be sweet?”

Nova did not respond.

Miko bent down to look closer at her. The half-spark was shaking.

“Nova?”

No answer.

Gently, and a little apprehensively, Miko nudged her friend in the shoulder.

“Uh … Novster? You okay?”

Nova’s sunken eyes were tightly shut, and she had turned her head to the side to avoid the light. Her face glistened with a mixture of sweat and tears, and she took in short, shallow breaths, as if she were afraid to move at all.

Miko nudged her again. Nova winced, and shifted away from her.

“Stop,” she hissed, shivering. “Stop hurting me.”

Miko had never heard her say _that_.

“Nova?”

Alarmed, Miko reached down and shook her in earnest. “Nova, you’re dreaming, or something. I’m not hurting you. Wake up!”

Nova opened her eyes slowly. They were dull, red, weary. She raised her gaze to Miko’s face.

“Is it … time to get up?” Nova murmured. Her voice sounded as sluggish as she looked.

“Yeah,” Miko said, grabbing her shoulder. “Get up, I think you’re still sleeping.”

At her friend’s entreaty, Nova became a little more mobile. Her hands slid up to her chest level, and her arms folded in as she tried to push herself upward. But her body shook, and the half-spark barely managed to raise her shoulders before losing balance and falling back onto the table. It seemed as though she had lost all of her strength in the five minutes since she had woken up.

Nova tried again, fell again, and grimaced.

“Can’t…” she said weakly. “Can’t get up right now.”

Something was definitely wrong. Miko placed her hand on Nova’s forehead. She wasn’t a doctor by any means, but she was pretty sure that if somebody was _that_ warm, it was bad. Really bad.

Miko jumped to her feet. “I’ll go get Ratchet! Stay here!”

She let herself down the leg of the table and dropped to the floor, stumbling a bit, before regaining her footing and charging up the stairs.

“Ratchet! You gotta come quick!”  
Ratchet never turned from his computer. “What is it now, Miko?”

“I think there’s something wrong with Nova!”

The medic grumbled a little.

“Yes, yes, Miko. Nova has a little something called PTSD. Now, if you can, please try to be quiet while I attempt to get a fix on Bulkhead’s coordinates. The scrapes he gets into, I swear to Primus…” he said something under his breath and kept typing.

“Ratchet!” Miko said sharply. “Nova’s sick!”

Pausing, Ratchet turned to her.

“What?”

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you!” Miko said. “Nova’s sick. Like, _sick_ sick! She’s barely moving and she’s crying and stuff, and her skin is really hot."

Ratchet looked at Miko. “Her skin?”

“Yeah!”

Without another word, Ratchet abandoned the computer monitor and strode into the medibay, opening his scanner as he approached the table.

“Has she said anything to you?” he demanded of the girl who watched behind the railing.

“Uh, yeah, she tried to fight me when she woke up,” Miko said. “I think she forgot who I was.”

“It might be a side-effect of the sedatives,” Ratchet muttered to himself, scanning the half-spark. “Then again, it might just be fatigue. But she slept for so long… maybe it’s some human virus she’s caught…”

He switched off the scanner and looked over the results intently.

“Elevated temperature, heightened pulse, low energy…” he abandoned the scanner and bent over the half-spark, peering down at her.

“Is it the flu?” Miko asked.

Ratchet ignored her.

“Nova,” he said quietly, rolling her over on her back. “Nova, can you look at me, please?”

The question was casual, almost gentle. This was serious. Miko hardly ever heard that tone of voice from Ratchet.

Nova looked up at the medic through low-lidded, bleary eyes. Her skin was pale, her cheeks sunken, her breaths shallow.

“Hey, Uncle,” she mumbled.

“Hey,” said Ratchet. “How do you feel?”

The half-spark murmured something incoherent, and closed her eyes. “Head hurts.”

“What else hurts?” Ratchet asked, stooping to lift her chin, inspecting her face, neck, and eyes with the practiced eyes of a medic.

“I dunno,” Nova hissed. “Everything.”

“Be more specific.”

She grumbled a little, attempting to shield her face from the light.

“Bones hurt,” she said softly. “Like they’re all rubbing together or somethin’… my tongue feels too big… I can’t …” she tried to lift her limp arm, and it flopped back onto the table. “Can’t move very good.”

“Go on,” Ratchet said.

“My back hurts,” she winced. “A … a lot.”

“Can you transfor— can you form your armor?”

Nova paused for a moment, making an effort.

A terrible silence followed. No armor could be seen.

“N-no… I … can’t! I can’t!” Nova gasped, and her breath hitched as panic began to seize her. “Ratchet?! Ratchet, I can’t _do_ it!”

“All right, all right, just relax,” Ratchet said. “It’s all right. Do you feel anything else wrong?”

Breathing quickly, clenching her fists, Nova gulped and kept her eyes shut.

“I don’t _know_!”

“Nova, calm down,” Ratchet ordered. “I’m trying to help you. Can you tell me anything else?”

“I’m … cold,” she said. “I’m … really, really cold…”

Sweat sprinkled her forehead, trickled down her jawbone. Ratchet stared at her face intently, his sharp eyes scrutinizing her body as he searched for all the signs and symptoms of every affliction he remembered. For all his obvious concern, though, he still spoke as gently as before. 

“Well, that won’t do, will it? We’ll get you warm and turn off the lights, and you can take a nap. How does that sound?”

Exhausted, Nova tilted her head a little. “Sounds great.”

The half-spark’s words were slurred, soft, as if she was putting as little effort into speaking as possible. Within a few more seconds, she had fallen into a light doze.

Having learned everything he needed to know, Ratchet stood up straight and put his scanner away.

“Is she dying?” Miko asked in a loud whisper.

Ratchet glanced at her briefly as he dimmed the lights.

“Dying? No, I don’t think so,” he said, exiting the medibay. “But she is very sick. You say she attacked you when she woke up?”

“No!” Miko said. “I mean, for a second, I _thought_ she was, but she didn’t.”

“Did she use her armor then?”

“Yeah.”

The medic mused on this quietly, walking back to his computer and mumbling a few things under his breath.

“Adrenaline surge … possible symptoms of … rapid pulse, temperature swings … delirium? …maybe it’s just stress… then again…”

Miko followed him around the railing again, unsure what to make of this new Ratchet she had discovered. It was strange to see him this caring. If the other Bots were sick, he’d berate them or wrench them for giving him less sass than Nova had. And he certainly wouldn’t have let a sick Autobot call him “Uncle” under _any_ circumstances.

Yes, this was weird, but Miko was delighted. This was the exact _opposite_ of a boring day!

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Bulkhead lumbered through the lower ventilation shafts of the warship’s main decks as best he could. Why on earth did he have to get stuck on the warship, today of all days? He and Miko had had plans today. Big plans. Fun plans. Plans that did not involve killing Starscream or running from Vehicons or getting trapped in their enemy’s mobile base of operations, or almost-dying at all.

It might have happened anyway, but still. It was much less epic when it wasn’t his own choice.

“Stealthy … stealthy,” he told himself out loud. He was headed for the flight deck on the aft section of the warship. If he could get outside, maybe he could radio for help. In any case, being outside was much better than sneaking around in here.

_Where the slag am I going, anyhow? What direction is this? Just keep going. You’ll get somewhere…_

“Stealthy…”

A trooper’s voice suddenly blared over the comms unit.

_“Lord Megatron.”_

Bulkhead froze. Megatron? If they were addressing the warlord himself, then that meant --

Oh, slag, no. _No_.

“Yes, what is it?” Megatron’s voice replied, making Bulkhead’s Energon run cold. He realized with a burning horror that he was right next to the Decepticon warlord’s feet. If he made any noise now, he would die.

_Shut up!_

“An intruder,” the trooper reported over the comm.

“Autobot?” Megatron inquired.

Bulkhead cringed, awaiting the affirmative reply. This was it. He was going to get found out. He was going to be slagged in the middle of the Decepticon warship. He would never watch another monster movie with Miko again. He would never see Wheeljack or Arcee or Bumblebee again —

“Starscream,” the trooper replied. “He was last seen in the vicinity of the bridge.”

Bulkhead gaped.

_But, I just scrapped Starscream …_

Megatron stalked off in the opposite direction, heading for the bridge. His receding footsteps brought Bulkhead back to reality.

_I gotta get outta here. This is too crazy for one day. Where’s the exit?_

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

The spider-bot leapt from the toppled heights of boulders as she fled from the speeding blue motorcycle, loping through the forest at an uncanny pace.

Arcee revved up her engine, pushing her highest speeds as she hurtled toward her nemesis. The trees blocked Airachnid’s escape by air, and no matter how fast she ran, the spider did not stand a chance against Arcee’s speed in vehicle mode. She would get her this time. She would make her pay for everything she did to Tailgate. This was it. This was the day!

A forceful laser blast from behind knocked Arcee off course. She popped an easy wheelie, managing to stay on her wheels as she launched herself forward. She propped up her rearview mirror to glance at the sky behind her. Sure enough, there were two Insecticons hot on her tail.

_I don’t fragging have time for this._

The Insecticons launched laser bolts at her, one after the other, punching into the soil and rocks around the motorcycle, but the brutes were so intent upon hitting their target that they did not notice the tree in front of them, until it was too late.

The first Insecticon narrowly missed the tree and careened off course, colliding with his fellow and spinning off into the air, headed directly for their mistress and queen herself.

“No!” Airachnid shouted, unable to stop the hurtling mass until it had knocked her off the boulder mound.

Arcee skidded to a stop on the edge of the overhang, transforming and staring down into the hollow where Airachnid had fallen.

The familiar drilling noise of the tunneling femme rang out into the forest, and when the dust had settled, only a hole remained.

Arcee walked to the edge of the tunnel and stared down into it, knowing that her enemy lay at the end, waiting for her.

“Underground,” she muttered to herself. “There’s a surprise.”

She was going to follow her. Of course she was. There was no other option.

Without hesitating, without calling for backup or turning back, Arcee drew her weapons and leapt into the tunnel, intent on fulfilling her purpose.

Tailgate would be avenged today.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Megatron paused in the last corridor before the bridge, quietly surveying the remains of fallen Vehicon troopers at either side of the entrance. They had been quickly and messily dispatched, and deep talon gouges could be seen embedded into their lifeless chassis, giving him the assurance of exactly who he was dealing with.

These troopers had likely been taken off their guard, attacked mercilessly while their backs were turned, or while they were working at their posts. They had not deserved to die with such disgrace.

He entered the bridge with his fusion cannon raised. Vehicon parts and chassis shavings littered the ground. Megatron kept walking, wary but unafraid. If he knew anything about Starscream, the Seeker would either be waiting in ambush or preparing a needlessly dramatic monologue specifically for his arrival.

It appeared to be the latter.

Starscream stood, with his back turned, at the main console on the end of the bridge, his hands folded behind his back.

Megatron had not run out of patience to the point where he would shoot Starscream in the back. Not yet. Part of him was curious to see where this was headed. Part of him wanted to let Starscream make his move in this ridiculous game they had concocted. The audacity of his former second-in-command never failed to amuse him.

That, Megatron reasoned, was probably the real reason he had made the mistake of keeping him around for so long. At times, he took a sick sort of interest in Starscream’s game. Unfortunately, the game of treachery seemed to be the only one the Seeker was capable of playing.

He kept his fusion cannon raised anyhow. Starscream was reckless, but he was not an idiot. He always had something planned.

Sure enough, as Megatron neared, the Seeker turned around, his customary smirk plastered on his face.

“Megatron,” he said, almost nonchalantly. “It has come time to settle old scores."

The warlord let out a laugh, and lowered his fusion cannon. He did not know what he was expecting, but this — this was ridiculous.

“Really, Starscream?” he asked aloud. “All on your own?”

“Actually…” a chorus of familiar voices rang out.

Megatron glanced to his left and to his right.

He was surrounded by not one, not two, but three more Starscreams, each standing with their right arm raised, rockets pointed directly at his head.

Megatron faced forward once again and directed a look at the nearest Starscream. This was certainly an amusing turn of events. Not what he was expecting, but in this game, he had learned long ago that anything was possible.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Nova was miserable.

She had tried several times to stay asleep, but she kept falling into that awful half-awake doze that always afflicts the sick. It tortured her, dangling her for a long time over the tantalizing promise of rest, but jerking her back into consciousness every time a chill gripped her bones.

She shivered. The dark room had provided some relief to her eyes, but it was still hard to form any staggering thoughts between the rhythmic pounding of her head. It felt as though Bulkhead was slamming his maces into her skull, over and over.

Nova breathed tentatively, knowing that if she took a really deep lungful, it would send a rush of oxygen into her throbbing head, and she didn’t want that to happen. So she settled for short, shallow gasps, attempting to stay as still as possible.

Her face and skin felt so hot, but she was trembling with an empty sort of chill that was real only to her. Her fingers were limp, weak, and clammy. Every slight movement felt strange, foreign, as if she were slowly coming detached from her own body. Dull aches spread in random places, quietly but persistently pulsing in her neck, her arms, her back.

Half-awake, Nova thought about getting up. She thought about it for a long time. She didn’t feel real enough to stand up anymore.

Her consciousness swung like a pendulum, dragging her in and out of limbo.

Over the course of who-knows-how-long, Nova sped through several short, snippy dreams that almost convinced her she _had_ gotten up, and even made her believe for a minute that she was actually walking around and moving.

But every time the pendulum swung back again and she woke up, Nova found herself lying on the hard medibay slab, no more mobile than a tree stump.

At this point, just raising her head seemed like an insurmountable task — but the thought of actually _standing_ felt as daunting as climbing Mount Everest without arms.

She cracked her eyelids a little. Nothing seemed any different. Was she really awake? She thought about it a moment, just to be sure.

Yes, she was awake this time. Mostly.

With a tremendous effort, Nova gradually pulled herself out of unconsciousness, and became aware of her body again. Her tongue cleaved to the roof of her mouth, her ears seemed stuffed with loads of ringing cotton, and she could feel her own teeth in all the most uncomfortable ways. Sweat plastered her forehead, drying in her hair, adding to the cold she already felt.

_What’s happening to me?_

Internally, she told herself to get up, demanding action, but her body was disgusted with the thought. It would be so much easier to just lay here, and rest.

Rest.

No! She had rested long enough. It was high time she got up and did something, like find out where everyone was — get some water, or something.

Nova gathered all her will, and slowly managed to raise her head. The entire room spun around her. She whined. Her head pounded painfully, her bones protested in harmony with her aching muscles, but the half-spark squeezed her eyes shut, and finally forced herself to sit up, swaying a little in the darkness.

She slumped forward, huffing quietly, waiting until everything slowed down… slowed down… And gradually, quietly, it did.

Nova sighed, resting her head on her knees as she took a break.

Well. She was kind of sitting up. Now what?

She hadn’t thought that far. She could barely think at all. Her head swum. She put her hands on her forehead and groaned, trying to drown out the pounding in her ears.

Nova supposed the next step would be to slide off the medibay table. She opened her eyes a little, and tilted her head, glancing over the edge. It seemed a lot higher than normal.

Normally, she could just jump off and be done with it. Now, Nova was overwhelmed by the fear that she would pulverize every bone in her body, and hit the floor like some kind of soggy pancake.

Whatever. Dying would be better than this, whatever this was.

She rocked to the side, tipping her body forward and pulling herself toward the edge. Almost, almost. Just a few more inches —

“What are you _doing_?!”

Nova glanced up at the sound of striding footsteps, and Ratchet was suddenly right there.

“R-ratchet?”

“Why are you getting out of bed?” the medic demanded, rescuing her before she slipped over the side. “I told you to rest.”

“But I wanna know what happened to e’rybody,” Nova mumbled, letting him place her back on the slab again. “Where were you?”

Ratchet answered perhaps a little more irritably than he should have. He had a lot on his mind.

“Our scout and leader are busy fighting a horde of Insecticons, Arcee’s gone AWOL, and I’m trying to pin down the location of one missing pain in the aft who left me stuck with his hyperactive human partner,” he snapped. “You’re stubborn insistence on getting out of bed isn’t helping things.”

Nova shivered underneath his gaze, turning away from him. Ratchet was silent for a moment.

“I’m … sorry, Nova,” he sighed. “I’m just trying to get everyone home alive, is all.”

Nova still trembled.

“Where’s Optimus?” she inquired, barely speaking above a whisper.

Ratchet hesitated.

“He’s out on a mission,” he replied simply. “He’ll be back soon.”

“But—” she murmured, lapsing into another round of insensibility, “But I want Optimus…”

“Optimus is busy,” Ratchet said quietly.

Nova groaned, and her eyes squeezed shut. The pain etched into her face made Ratchet’s Spark ache.

“I’m cold, Ratchet.”

“I know.”

Nova was shaking violently now, her body curled up into a ball in an effort to ward off the chill. The sweat trickling down her face made it even worse. Her head throbbed still. When she closed her eyes, she began to see things she did not want to see. She began to see people she knew — people she loved, and they were in the same amount of pain that she was. Some of them were dead. Coby was dead.

Oh, no, he was _dead_ …

Thinking she was alone, Nova let out a cry, her chest heaving with sobs. Something deep in her brain told her crying would only make her feel worse, but she didn’t care. She felt like slag, and she was going to cry about it.

In the middle of her stifled whimpering, Nova felt something soft and warm clothe the length of her body. She froze, sniffling, as strong metal hands tucked a blanket around her shoulders. It felt … warm, and heavy, almost like having a really big hug all over.

Her sobs gave way to quiet groans.

“That’s it,” Ratchet’s voice soothed, picking her up in his hands and folding the blanket round her. “That’s it. It’s all right. Go back to sleep.”

Nova burrowed into the blanket, resting her head on Ratchet’s cool fingers as she sniffled. He began to stroke her hair with his thumb, smoothing it out on his fingers as the half-spark drifted into limbo again. Soon, she was mostly asleep, shuddering every so often with a remaining sob.

Ratchet murmured, mostly to himself, “Why didn’t you tell me it hurt so much?”

He moved to put her down on the table again, but then thought better of it, and carried her outside the medibay.

“Whatcha doin?” Miko asked, seeing Ratchet dim the lights in the main room.

“Nothing. Go back to your video game.”

“No fun playing a CPU,” she said, approaching the railing. “Hey, is that Nova?”

He looked at her. “No, it’s an Energon burrito.”

Miko rolled her eyes.

Ratchet ignored her and walked to his computer, dimming the monitor screen and beginning to type with his free hand.

Miko watched him for a minute. The medic had Nova in one hand; work in the other. Miko had never seen this before.  
“You … brought her out here to work with you?” Miko grinned.

Ratchet snorted.

“Well, _someone_ has to keep an eye on her,” he replied. “And I happen to be the responsible adult in this room.”

“You’re the responsible _uncle_ in this room,” Miko teased.

Ratchet shot her a look.

“Chores,” he said.

Miko groaned. “What?!”

“You heard me. Go do your chores.”

“In the dark?”

“Yes. Manual labor is good for you.”

She snickered. “Fine, _Uncle_ Ratchet.”

Ratchet took a deep breath.

“You’re lucky today…” he muttered. “If I had a free hand, I would grab the wrench.”

“Sweet! I get to tease you for free!” Miko crowed, grabbing the mop. “Thanks for getting sick, Novster!”

“Go do your chores!” Ratchet barked.

“Yes, Uncle!” Miko giggled, and sauntered off toward the back rooms with the mop slung over her shoulder. She knew exactly what power she held.

Ratchet sighed. “Humans…”

Could he help the fond smile that touched his face for a moment as he said that word?

Ratchet would never, _ever_ admit he missed Miko’s teasing, or Rafael’s little smiles, or Jack’s awkward attempts at humor — to anyone — but he would most certainly gripe about all of them. That way, they would never stop.

Secretly, Ratchet wouldn’t mind that at all.

His thumb stroked Nova’s hair softly.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Megatron surveyed the scene, and he was actually surprised. Starscream had thrown something new at him this time. Surrounded by four Starscream lookalikes, Megatron wondered how this had happened. Where on earth was Soundwave? He could use a certain Communications Officer right about now. Come to think of it, why had a Vehicon notified him of Starscream’s presence? That was most certainly Soundwave’s job.

“Clones,” he remarked aloud. He spoke over his shoulder at the Starscream who had first apprehended him. “Well played, Starscream — if you are even here among your _underlings_.”

“ _Underlings_?” Starscream Clone Number One spat indignantly.

Ah, yes. Touchy. Megatron grinned a little to himself. Starscream in any form was very easy to insult. That was part of what made the game so amusing.

“We are as one,” Clones Two and Three corrected, all of them keeping their weapons raised. “Though many!”

Megatron put his fists on his hips, nailing the nearest Starscream with a low-browed look. There was an easy way out of this. Starscream could be easily swayed by promises of power.

“Bring me Starscream’s head on a stick,” the warlord offered. “And I will reward you as my Second in Command — all of you.”

There was a pause. Megatron’s tactic was working. He could see the Starscreams looking at each other uncertainly, deliberating, thinking it over. They were tempted, just as Starscream would be, to get ahead in whatever way they could.

True, Megatron had no real intention of making any of them his SIC, but they did not need to know that.

“No!” one of the Starscreams barked. “You’re trying to trick us!”

“Am I?” Megatron asked, smiling a little.

Starscream Three glanced at his fellows. “Is he?”

“Accept my proposal, and we all win,” Megatron said, sprinkling a little truth on top of his slag mountain cake for effect. “Otherwise, you will merely end up terminating each other to get the spoils.”

He smiled again. “It is your nature, after all.”

“Don’t listen to him!” Starscream Two cried.

“Prepare to perish at my hand,” Starscream Four growled.

“Our hands!” they chorused.

“Yes,” Starscream One agreed, spurred on by new purpose. “Only our combined firepower will assure Megatron’s destruction!”

“Take aim!” Starscream Three shouted.

Megatron gritted his teeth. Were they actually going to terminate him rather than cheat their way to the top? They were more stubborn than he had expected.

Then again, what had he expected? This was Starscream — multiple Starscreams. The stubbornness in this room was exponential.

Megatron clenched his fists, and quietly prepared to beat the slag out of every one of them, but the assassination attempt was interrupted by a strange noise.

A sort of roaring buzzing began to permeate the room, causing the Starscreams to hesitate.

“Do you hear that?” Starscream One asked, tilting his head toward the ceiling.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

In the depths of the ship, crawling through the ventilation shafts, Bulkhead heard it too.

_What kind of weird fraggery is goin’ on up here?_

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Outside, the sun was slowly obscured by an enormous, living cloud of Insecticons, which slowly branched off into several parts and began to engulf the warship, the buzzing of their wings increasing tenfold as they neared the Nemesis.

Their target: Megatron. Their mission: Kill on sight.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

On the bridge, facing Megatron, the Starscreams were becoming agitated. The noise was very loud, now. A sense of impending doom had settled on them all. But that could wait.

“Ignore!” Number Two shouted. “Fire on Three!”

“One!”

“Two—”

A sudden crash made the ship lurch, causing Megatron to stumble and all the Starscreams to fall to the ground.

A pity. The Seeker was never good at staying on his feet.

But the gladiator was.

The nearest clone rolled over, groaning. “What was that?”

He glanced up, only to meet the business end of Megatron’s fusion cannon.

“The sound of the tables turning,” Megatron replied.

The weapon erupted in a burst of violet energy, killing the clone instantly.Megatron did not stop there. One by one, two more of the Starscreams fell. The last Starscream gaped up in terror in the face of Megatron’s wrath, realizing that this was probably the end of his new life.

Megatron trained his cannon toward the Seeker, and fired into his chest — not to kill, not to destroy; just to cripple. This wretched creature may not have been Starscream, but all the same, he had dared to defy Megatron, and he would be rewarded with a slow death.

The ship rumbled and creaked with the amount of firepower pummeling the Nemesis. As the Insecticon swarm came around for another strike, Megatron approached the Seeker, who was attempting to crawl away — to retreat. As he always did.

“Exterminating you was so gratifying the _first_ three times,” Megatron hissed in evil amusement, watching the clone claw at the floor. Starscream ducked, turning away from the certain doom that was about to be doled out to him — when another sudden crash shook the warship, enough to make Megatron almost lose his balance.

Seizing the opportunity to escape, Starscream hobbled out the door.

No matter. It probably was not the real Starscream anyway. Megatron let him go, and turned to the front of the bridge, turning on the vid screen to see what was happening out there. Starscream was of little consequence. The Insecticons surrounding his ship provided more immediate concerns.

“Airachnid,” he realized, observing the bug-like brutes pummeling the ship’s bow. “A busy day for assassins.”

Soundwave would not have stood for this.

Where the frag was he?

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

The last of the Insecticon guards lay smoking on the ground, nothing more than twisted lumps of wreckage, now. Optimus got to his feet and glanced at Bumblebee, who had broken the back of one of the Insecticons himself. There was someone missing.

Of course, she was missing.

“Arcee,” Optimus commed, trying to get ahold of her.

No response. The commlink buzzed in his audio receptor.

“Ratchet,” he tried again. “Have you had any contact with Arcee?”

“ _No, Optimus,”_ the medic replied. _“But I am getting a reading about a mile away from your position.”_

“What direction?” Optimus inquired.

 _“Down,”_ said Ratchet. _“I assume that means she ran into Airachnid again?”_

Bumblebee beeped and urgently pointed to a string of tire tracks leading east.

“We will locate her,” Optimus said into the commlink.

 _“Are either of you injured?”_ Ratchet inquired. _“Do I need to prepare sickbay?”_

Optimus looked doubtfully at the scout.

“Are you all right?” Optimus asked.

Bumblebee buzzed, giving him a thumbs-up.

“We are fine, Ratchet,” Optimus reported. “But we are not aware of Arcee’s conditi— _augh_!”

It hit him suddenly, forcefully, like a freight train. A sudden wave of fatigue, intense and aching, slammed into him, and for a minute, he could hardly breathe.

He fell to one knee. Alarmed, Bumblebee darted forward to help his leader, buzzing in concern.

 _“What is it?”_ Ratchet demanded. _“What’s going on? Your vitals just dropped.”_

Overwhelmed, Optimus closed his eyes, trying to pull himself together. He forced air into his vents and tried to figure out what was going on. Was he injured?

No. He did not feel any real pain. Just a horrible feeling of exhaustion, but it was everywhere. It ran deeper than his veins, almost made him lose consciousness — what _was_ it?

He got to his feet shakily. Bumblebee was still beeping at him.

"I am fine,” Optimus said, trying to keep his voice level. “We must locate Arcee.”

_“But why did you—”_

“We will request a Groundbridge shortly, Ratchet.”

_“What— no! don’t you dare hang up on me!”_

Optimus hung up.

“Bumblebee, transform,” he ordered. “Follow the tracks.”

For a second, Bumblebee thought about asking Optimus what was going on, but his leader had a look in his eyes that the scout knew well.

It was best not to argue with Optimus when he looked like that.

Bumblebee transformed and sped off in the direction of Arcee’s tracks. He hoped she was okay. The last time Arcee met up with Airachnid, she had almost died. In fact, she would never have survived had it not been for Starscream.

The irony of that rescue never let go of Bumblebee. Imagine — you’re losing the battle with your archenemy, and then the most treacherous Decepticon in history picks that day to save you.

Probably just another one of Starscream’s bargaining chips. If that Decepticon ever needed anything from Ratchet or Optimus again, Bumblebee would bet good Shanix that Starscream would bring up Arcee’s rescue.

 _Well_ , Bumblebee thought, _this time, we’re going to rescue her ourselves_.

That’s what family was supposed to do.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Megatron walked slowly out onto the raging battlefield. Never had he seen such chaos on his own warship. The lasers of the Insecticons pummeled the metal all around him, blasting into Vehicons on his right and left. The valiant troopers who were makinga stand were cut down like paper in the face of the Insecticon brutes, and the beasts had not even landed on the ship yet. There seemed to be nothing that could stop them.

Nothing, that is, except for himself. Megatron had already bested an Insecticon once before, and he could do it again. Megatron would not be losing this warship today to either of the two rogue Decepticons with delusions of grandeur.

He lifted his fusion cannon and blasted an Insecticon out of the sky. Not many dared to cross him and lived to tell the story. These brutes would certainly be no exception.

And once this was all sorted out, both Starscream and Airachnid would pay.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Arcee trod stealthily through the underground cavern, her gun at the ready. From the looks of things, the Insecticons had been dormant underground for a long while. Hundreds and hundreds of reflective pods, not all of them empty, lined the walls in an eerie array of metal and mesh.

Airachnid had probably discovered them after her run-in with Starscream, and, as was the way of the Decepticons, she had probably used them to her advantage in her fight against Megatron. Everybody wanted to kill Megatron lately.

Arcee didn’t care. Megatron could slag himself for all the good it would do. Her fight was with Airachnid, and if killing her meant saving Megatron’s life in the process, then fine. Arcee had a score to settle with that eight-bladed harpy, and nothing was going to stop her this time.

This time, only one of them was going to walk away.

Her eyes shifted, catching a sudden movement. One of the pods had reflected something moving on the wall behind her.

Airachnid. Waiting to shoot her in the back.

_Fragging glitch._

Arcee’s mouth twitched up in a snarl. Airachnid’s lasers erupted from behind, but the two-wheeler was ready. Acting quickly, she dove behind a stasis pod and crouched against it, readying her weapons as lasers peppered the rocks around her.

She had to be fast.

Wait … wait for it …

Now!

The instant Airachnid halted in her barrage, Arcee stood up from behind the pod and brought that spider down with a storm of precise, rapid-fire shots.

With a cry, Airachnid fell from the wall and crashed to the stone belly of the cavern, groaning as Arcee advanced upon her. But, as she looked upon the Autobot, the spider’s gaze was still filled with cruel spite, as if she genuinely enjoyed this.

“When you extinguish my Spark, make it hurt,” Airachnid hissed, a pained grimace spreading under her glowing eyes. “You know I would extend that courtesy to you.”

Arcee raised her guns away from Airachnid’s face.

“I’m not like you,” she said coldly.

Airachnid sneered. “Very well.”

She lunged at Arcee. The blue femme leaped out of the way just in time, narrowly evading the spider’s sharp claws and whipping out her arm blades. There had to be a better way to beat Airachnid. On the ground, she had a greater advantage than Arcee, if only because she had more limbs and more weapons at her disposal.

Arcee thought fast, glancing at an open and empty stasis pod behind Airachnid.

Maybe those extra limbs could be made to work against her.

Airachnid continued attacking the two-wheeler, slicing her spider legs through the air, and becoming more frustrated as each blow was deflected by Arcee’s blades, thwarting her victory every time.

Airachnid growled. Why wouldn’t she fall?!

Suddenly, Arcee spotted an opening in Airachnid’s assault. The trap was set. Arcee knew this was the moment. She had to act now, or else Airachnid would get away, free to live another day, and she would let Tailgate down again.

She would _not_ let Tailgate down again!

Arcee lunged forward, delivering a forceful set of kicks to Airachnid’s torso. That drove the spider back, landing her almost within the stasis pad. Airachnid staggered into the circle, triggering the pod, and she gasped in terror as she realized what had happened. With a loud _snikt,_ the pod clamped around the enraged femme, and one of her dismembered legs went spinning off into the dust, right in front of Arcee, who watched in silence as the pod activated.

This was it. This was the moment.

Airachnid struggled to free herself from the trap, but all in vain. That stasis pod was built to withstand the efforts of warrior-grade Insecticons.

With a hiss, the pod’s stasis mechanisms kicked in, and Airachnid was instantly frozen, her final look of horror etched permanently onto her face.

Arcee deactivated her weapons.

“That was for Tailgate,” she said, her hands clenching into fists. 

As Arcee stared at the stasis pod, a needling thought wormed its way into her brain. She could kill Airachnid right now. All it would take was a well-placed shot right into that spider’s head once the pod cracked open. She could watch her bleed out onto the rocks, making her suffer on this rustheap of a planet just as she had made Tailgate suffer.

But she seemed to hear Tailgate, as if in a distant memory, or a dream, saying, “ _Would I really want you to do that, ‘Cee?”_

No. He probably wouldn’t. And neither would anyone else on her team.

Speaking of which…

“Ratchet, I need an assist,” she said into the commlink. “I’ve dispatched Airachnid.”

_“In the permanent sense?”_

“Not exactly. She’s been contained and needs transport.”

_“Understood. Where are you?”_

“I don’t really know. I’ll send you my coordinates,” she replied, tapping in the code.

 _“Are you injured?”_ Ratchet demanded.

“I’m fine. But I’ll need bigger hands if we’re gonna get Airachnid through the bridge safely.”

 _“Optimus and Bumblebee should be — Miko!”_ He cut himself off, addressing someone else. _“Don’t you dare!”_

_“Awwgh, but Doc — !”_

_“Leave my tools alone!”_

“Problems, Ratchet?” Arcee asked, biting back a smile.

 _“No.”_ She could practically hear the frown on his face. _“When Optimus reaches you, he should be warned that I have a few choice words for him once he gets back to base.”_

“Have you made contact with Bulkhead?” Arcee asked.

There was a pause.

 _“Not yet,”_ Ratchet replied finally. _“His vitals are fine, but his comm isn’t responding. I don’t know where in Primus’ name he’s gotten off to.”_

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Megatron ceased firing as an unholy shriek went up from several of the Insecticons. They descended in droves and landed in a circle around him, gathering as thick as trees on the landing pad of the Nemesis.

Megatron kept his guard up, but they weren’t attacking. What kind of trickery was this?

Whatever the case, the gladiator was surrounded by enemies stacked fifty deep, and he knew that there would be no easy way out of this.

The Insecticon closest to him advanced forward. Megatron prepared to blast the horrid head from between the unsightly shoulders, but to his surprise, the Insecticon bowed to him, taking a knee on the dented metal of the ship.

The other Insecticons followed suit, kneeling before Megatron and saying in unison:

“Forgive us, one true lord and master.”

The warlord looked around. More than two hundred Insecticons now surrounded him on the ship’s surface. It would seem Airachnid was no longer in a position to control the army which now greeted him.

Megatron gestured around him with a sense of exasperated irony. “This day has certainly seen its share of thwarted intentions.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Bulkhead slammed open the hatch with his mace and dropped to the ground, looking around him.

 _Bout slagging time I got outta those vents,_ he thought to himself. _Where’d I come out?_

Huh. He was in the power core; the room where the ship was fueled and the one place that held everything together.

It was a rather magnificent sight. A central power conduit, glowing with bright blue fuel, branched out into an array of pipes and tubes that sent Energon to every part of the ship. Long, spindly arms dangling from the ceiling methodically fed new cubes into the core, keeping the Nemesis in the air.

Looking at it all, Bulkhead had a Miko of an idea.

He formed his mace, staring down at the power core system. “One way or another, I’m gettin’ off this boat.”

With a shout, Bulkhead launched himself from the edge of the platform and dove toward the glowing core, his mace outstretched, slamming himself full force into the one thing holding the warship aloft.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

The warship lurched as an ominous rumble groaned out from below, and Megatron felt the Nemesis shudder beneath his feet. The Insecticons clustered around him were instantly jolted as the entire craft began to tip to one side, sending everything into greater disarray than before.

With a snarl, Megatron turned around and glowered back at the ship. “ _Now_ what?!”

Many inconvenient things seemed to be happening today, and the warlord was fed up with it at this point.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“Drink this,” Ratchet directed, holding a tiny cup of water to Nova’s mouth.

Trembling, the half-spark opened her eyes.

“Why?” she croaked, staring listlessly at the liquid.

“It’s good for you,” he replied, trying to coax her to open her mouth. “Come on.”

Her face pale, Nova opened her eyes and took a sip, grasping the cup with weak hands.

“Ugh,” she grimaced, pushing the cup away. “Not thirsty.”

“Do you want to get better or not?” Ratchet asked, typing into the computer with his free hand. “It’s important to stay hydrated.”

Nova sighed a little and took another sip. 

“More,” Ratchet directed.

“Aw, Ratchet…”

“Drink all of it, Nova.”

Nova obeyed, whether out of her lack of resolve or her unwillingness to provoke the medic any further. Ratchet didn’t care which.

“Can’t pinpoint his coordinates…” Ratchet began to mutter to himself as he typed. “…Bulkhead managed to drop off the face of the fragging earth…”

Then the commlink beeped, startling the half-spark.

“ _Ratchet, we're ready for that Groundbridge."_

Ratchet began inputting Arcee’s appropriate coordinates. “Is Optimus with you?”

“ _Yeah. Bee thinks something’s wrong with him.”_

Ratchet pulled down the lever, a little too harshly. “Bumblebee may be right.”

_“Something the matter, Doc?”_

“Several things today,” he snapped. “How are you?”

Arcee sounded tired. _“I’m fine. We’ll see you in a minute.”_

“Yes, yes.”

Ratchet shut off the comms. Nova made a little noise from his hand.

“Ratchet?”

“Hm?”

“Did she … kill Airachnid?”

Ratchet paused. The half-spark had been told about Arcee’s rivalry with Airachnid, and of the lengths the two-wheeler was willing to go to bring her partner’s murderer to justice. Recently, Arcee had discovered, through a rather unpleasant experience, that Starscream was responsible for the death of Cliffjumper.

In the weeks since then, the femme had not been doing well. She had spent more time than usual out on the cliff’s edge, talking to Cliffjumper’s shrine, and she walked around the base with a permanent frown behind her eyes. In this state, and given the opportunity to kill someone who had wronged her, Ratchet was not certain what Arcee would do.

“I don’t think so, Nova,” he said aloud. “You don’t need to worry about that right now.”

“But _you’re_ worried.”

Ignoring her, Ratchet punched in the last few numbers for the Groundbridge, and the green portal blossomed in the tunnel beside them.

He placed Nova on the couch, where Miko was flipping through TV channels.

“Watch her,” he instructed.

“Is Bulkhead coming?” Miko asked, jumping up from the chair in excitement. 

“No. The others are bringing Arcee back to base.” Ratchet pointed a finger at her. “Now, I want you to be absolutely quiet, understand? I’m dealing with a lot today, and if Airachnid’s alive and sees you walking around, I don’t want to add a dead human to the mix.”

“Airachnid’s coming here?!” Miko asked. “Wow!”

“Not ‘ _wow_ ,’” Ratchet said sternly. “In fact, it’s the opposite of wow.”

“I’ll get to see her nemesis again!” Miko said excitedly. “I can’t wait to smack her stupid spider face!”

Ratchet stared at her for a second.

“You know something, Miko?” he said decisively. “I’m sending you home right now. It’s a bad idea for you to be around today.”

“No, please!” Miko begged. “Let me stay! I wanna watch!”

“Absolutely not. You are much too bored to make rational decisions.” Ratchet turned to the computer and pulled down the lever. “Arcee, I’m going to have to hold off on the Groundbridge for a minute. I’ve got to send someone home first.”

“ _Copy that.”_

“Awgh!” Miko growled. “You never let me do _anything_!”

"We can have this conversation once you’re a mature adult,” Ratchet said, punching in the coordinates to her host parents’ house. “I will contact you when Bulkhead returns.”

Miko grumbled and dragged her feet all the way down the stairs, and she grumbled and dragged her feet as Ratchet pushed her into the Groundbridge, and the medic was willing to bet that she was grumbling and dragging her feet out the other side, but he didn’t really care at the moment.

He shut off the Groundbridge and, with a sigh, punched in Arcee’s coordinates again.

“Gonna send me home, too?” Nova asked weakly from the couch.

“Funny,” he said. “Go back to sleep.”

"I'm … sorry, Uncle.”

The medic looked at her. “For what, Nova?”

“Causing so much trouble,” she murmured. “You’re not having a good day…”

He scoffed. “Don’t apologize for being sick. I’m taking care of you. That’s my job.”

She coughed. “… Just ‘cuz it’s your job?”

Her voice was very quiet. Ratchet paused in his preparations.

“Yes, because it’s my job,” he said. “If you died on my watch, Optimus would never forgive me.”

“Oh,” Nova said.

Ratchet hesitated again.

“It’s not like I could forgive myself, either,” he muttered gruffly, reaching over and adjusting the blanket around the girl’s shoulders. “I don’t know how the slag it happened, but I’ve gotten very fond of you.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nova bury herself deeper into the blanket. A small smile hovering around her mouth was the only indication that she had heard him.

Ratchet pulled down the lever for the Groundbridge again. It was about time something went right today.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Why was everything going to slag today?

Megatron stalked down the hall, heading for the navigational room, just beside the bridge. Well, he tried to stalk; it was more like stumbled. It was hard to keep his balance with the ship rocking this way and that, careening inexorably toward the ground. The Insecticons, like panicked rats, had muscled their way inside the ship at the first sign of trouble, terrifying the first Vehicons they saw and making Megatron’s reentry into the ship a huge slagging ordeal. A sudden increase in troops — burly, stubborn, _dimwitted_ troops — came with scores of problems he did not want to deal with right now.

Soundwave would _not_ have stood for this.

He stabbed the button next to the nav bay door, bracing himself against the frame, and it slid open (at least the doors were working right). The two poor Vehicons inside — both grounders — struggled to stay at their posts, swaying with the ship. One of them was curled over his computer console, either terribly afraid or terribly airsick.

“My liege, our power core has been compromised,” the other Vehicon informed him, making a brave effort to stand straight.

That was bad. Direct damage to the power core meant that no matter how much they tried to stabilize the engines, it was already too late. The ship was lost.

“Prepare for landing,” Megatron ordered, his voice remarkably calm. Soundwave would be so proud of him. He had not killed anyone today.

Well, yes, he had killed people today, but they had all deserved it.

And if he ever laid eyes on Starscream again — which was almost absolutely certain to happen, since the mech refused to die — he would slap the Seeker in his traitorous little face.

 _“Attention, all crew members,”_ a Vehicon announced over the intercom. “ _This is not a drill. Man your emergency stations. Lock down munitions and fuel reserves, and prepare for immediate landing.”_

Well, at least he had been able to shoot Starscream — more than once — today. That was fun.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

The entire ship was out of control. Bulkhead staggered through the halls, trying to avoid Vehicons, and stumbled toward the sight of broad daylight. He was on the landing pad. How he was going to get off without dying or being spotted, he had no idea.

A familiar, screeching voice shrieked out from behind him.

“Out of my way!”

_Starscream?_

Bulkhead watched, gaping, as the same Seeker he had just killed darted out in front of him, transformed, and shot off into the sky.

_How the frag…?_

But, as crazy and messed up as that was, Bulkhead knew he had bigger problems — like getting off this ship alive without a flight-based alt mode.

 _I could always jump,_ he thought to himself, looking over the edge. The dark, dust-colored clouds stretched above him forever and ever, a wide, rolling field of black and brown. The ground glared back at him pointedly, coming closer much faster than he would like. A huge column of smoke billowed out the wrong end of the Nemesis, leaving a dark trail in the sky that was probably impressive from a distance.

Any other time, Bulkhead would be proud of how he had slagged the warship all by himself, but right now, he was kind of worried he may have made the wrong decision.

 _I hope Jackie takes care of Miko,_ he thought to himself.

The ship rocked with another internal explosion, pitching Bulkhead head over heels. The wind whistled around him as he staggered forward and approached the edge. The ground was very close, now. The jagged metal around him shrieked in the wind, subjected to a kind of speed it had not felt in a long while. The ground raced along underneath the bowels of the ship, rushing ever closer.

Bulkhead slammed his fists into the metal in the floor of the landing pad, and braced himself. Alarms blared. Wind screeched. The Nemesis rumbled. They were about to hit —

The jarring suddenness of the impact nearly launched Bulkhead off of the Nemesis. How he managed the strength to hang on, he never understood.

Metal screeched wildly.

The smell of coolant and fuel and thick smoke hit him like a wave. Flurries of rock and earth and stone flew up in sheets as the Nemesis was driven into the soft earth of the organic planet.

Bulkhead was knocked into the surface of the ship several times, the sounds of his own tumbling metal drowned out by the groaning of the ship as it rushed and rushed, and finally skidded to a stop, teetering precariously over the edge of an enormous cliff.

The silence after the crash was piercing; overwhelming. Nothing moved, nothing stirred, except for one rather relieved Wrecker.

Bulkhead had kept his wits about him, and once he was sure he still had all his limbs, he leaped over the edge of the ship and tumbled into alt-mode, driving down one of the formerly-intimidating prongs adorning the front and racing off the Nemesis, heading directly back where he thought home was. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, making the shaken mech laugh a little, relieved at the fact he was most definitely still alive.

_Well, that certainly ain’t the first crash I’ve survived. I can’t wait to tell Miko!_

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“Stasis,” Ratchet muttered, leaning on the edge of the Insecticon pod and glaring at the femme inside. “She deserves worse.”

“I intended worse,” Arcee said angrily. “More times than you know.”

Optimus approached them from behind.

“You are stronger for the choice you made,” he said to Arcee, quietly affirming her decision. She had had a hard enough time lately without being criticized for this latest confrontation with her past.

Sudden honking blared from the entrance tunnel, heralding the rather speedy arrival of Bulkhead, who transformed and staggered into the base with an excited grin on his face.

“Guys, you are not gonna _believe_ the day I had!” he announced, in the manner of someone who has a story to tell that’s ready to burst out of them.

But he fell silent when he caught sight of the stasis pod, and who was inside, and the expressions of the three Autobots clustered around it — weary Autobots, ready for the next awful thing this day was going to throw at them.

“Oh, you too, huh?” he said sympathetically, looking around at all of them.

“Where were you?” Ratchet asked. “I’ve been trying to locate your signal all day.”

“That’s the crazy thing; I got stuck on the Con’s warship!” Bulkhead replied, launching into his story. “There was this spike of energy I was gonna investigate, but then I found out it was a mining haul. I fell and hit my head, and the next thing I knew, I woke up in the storage room—” he cut himself off, waving his arm. “Where’re the kids? Where’s Miko? I gotta tell her.”

“The other children are busy, and I sent Miko home ten minutes ago,” Ratchet said, putting his hands on his hips. “Did you say you hit your head? I’ll have to do a scan; sit down.”

“I’m fine, Doc,” Bulkhead waved him off. “Where’s Bee?”

"Looking after our other little patient,” Ratchet replied. “Which reminds me — Optimus, I want you to go sit back there and wait for me until I come in to give you a full inspection. Send Bumblebee out for a diagnostic.”

“Ratchet—”

“ _Now_.”

With a nod, Optimus turned and made his way back to the medical bay, while Ratchet sat Bulkhead and Arcee down for diagnostics.

“Just as I thought,” he muttered, running the scanner over Bulkhead. “You’ve gone and gotten yourself a concussion. And where did these gashes come from?”

“That’s a crazy story,” Bulkhead said excitedly. “You’ll never guess who I found sneaking around on board the warship.”

“No, I can probably guess,” Arcee said, peering sideways at the wounds.

“It was Starscream,” he said. “I think he was trying to off Megatron or something—”

“So what else is new?” asked the medic.

Arcee was clenching her fists on her legs.

“No, no, that isn’t the crazy part,” Bulkhead continued. “After I killed him, he came back again and—”

“You killed Starscream?!” Arcee demanded, shocked.

“Well, no… not really,” replied the Wrecker. “Lemme tell the story, you guys!”

“You can talk while I finish repairing you,” Ratchet said.

“How was your day, anyhow?” Bulkhead asked, noticing the frown etched into the medic’s face.

“Tough,” Ratchet replied. “It was a tough day to get through, Bulkhead, and it’s not over yet."

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Bumblebee looked up as Optimus walked into the medibay. He buzzed a greeting, his door-wings bobbing cheerily in response to his leader’s arrival.

Optimus seemed … a little off. In fact, he had been acting strange all day, ever since they had been deployed on the mission. Maybe, now that he was back at the base, back with Nova, he would feel better.

Bee buzzed an inquiry. “ _You okay?”_

Optimus sat down, a little too clumsily, and sighed.

“I am fine,” he said. “Ratchet asked to see you, Bumblebee. He needs to clear you for repairs.”

Groaning a little, Bumblebee reluctantly got to his feet and shuffled out of the medibay. Getting cleared by Ratchet was everyone’s least favorite part of the day, just because it took so long, and usually the Fenderbender was involved. But, like many unpleasant things in life, it had to be done — and sooner was better than later.

The scout took a moment to look back at Optimus. He was sitting by the medical bed, looking steadily at the little red-faced figure bundled in a blanket atop it. Bumblebee was willing to bet that whatever was bothering the Prime had something to do with Nova.

_“You sure you’re okay?”_

Optimus looked up suddenly, as though roused from slumber.

“Yes. Thank you for your concern,” he said, giving the scout a small smile.

With a shrug, Bumblebee turned and left. Ratchet didn’t exercise much patience when diagnostics were involved. 

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Starscream heard the distant sound of his own jet engines long before the Seeker outside came into view. He stood inside the Harbinger, his hands folded behind his back, glowering quietly at the wall.

He was thoroughly, properly, _utterly_ ticked off.

Binary bonding. Officially the last thing Starscream wanted to partake in again. Ever since he had sent out the clones to terminate Megatron, he had felt them die — excruciatingly — no less than three times over, twice with a fusion cannon — but if Starscream had to guess, that first death was brought about by blunt force trauma — and he was almost certain their mission had failed spectacularly. Here he was, grounded, practically helpless, unable to taste the clouds or soar in the heavens on his own, forced to bear the pain of those worthless shells. He had given up his precious fuel and Energon to give them life, and in return, he had been paying for their mistakes the entire day.

Starscream’s rising ire brought a crooked scowl to his face. If you wanted something done right, well, apparently you had to do it yourself.

Luckily, he had had all day to plot revenge. He had had more than enough time to think about exactly what he was going to do to those clones if they ever showed their faces again.

Although right now it sounded like there was only one left.

Fine. He was almost happy that the others had been terminated by Megatron — that they had met a humiliating, dishonorable death at the hands of his hated enemy. It was a fitting return for their incompetence.

He heard the antiquated door slide open behind him, but Starscream, in true Starscream fashion, kept his back turned and his hands folded behind him.

Was turning your back on an enemy dangerous?

Only if you were afraid that your opponent could win; and at that moment, Starscream was much too angry to be afraid of anything. The fact that this was probably the same exact stance and manner in which his clone had confronted Megatron only made the irony even sweeter.

“Lord Starscream,” the clone began, his footsteps clanking softly as he approached him from behind. “Your most loyal servant has returned.”

Starscream could practically smell the treachery radiating off of his ‘most loyal servant.’ Did that worthless copy seriously take him for such a colossal fool?

“But I regret to inform you that our collective mission has failed,” the clone continued, with just the right amount of remorse in his voice. The clone was an excellent liar. Certainly one of the best.

But not _the_ best.

Starscream was the best, and he knew what was about to happen in this game. He had invented it, for Primus’ sake.

“Hm, yes. I got that sense,” he said aloud. He could tell the clone was raising his arm, bringing his missile to bear on his creator, readying himself to shoot him in the back.

“Something to do with — a throbbing ache in my _side_!”

Starscream spun around before the clone could fire, and launched a missile directly into that pretender’s chest. The rocket exploded on contact with the living metal, bursting in a thunderous plume of sparks and smoke.

And it hurt. A lot.

But again, Starscream was far too angry to let that stop him. He advanced towards the downed Seeker, despite the crippling pain shooting through his chest, and placed a foot on its chassis, preventing the clone from rising.

Oh, that pathetic replica would never be rising again. There was no doubt about that.

The clone looked up at him through astonished, flickering eyes. It struggled to speak.

“You … knew I would attempt to terminate you?” it asked, choking out a final question.

Starscream could not help the grunt of pain that escaped his vocalizer, or the reflexive way he clutched at his throbbing chassis, but nevertheless, he stood imperiously over this vile copy which had dared to defy him.

“I feel your pain,” Starscream hissed, leveling his final missile directly at the clone’s Spark chamber. “Really, I do.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, he fired the fatal shot. The world went black, the pain knocking his optics offline for a horrible moment as he screamed in agony.

“AUGH! _Scrap_ , that hurt!”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“All right, Optimus,” Ratchet said, leaning against the nearest wall and looking the Prime in the eye. “How are you holding up?”

“I am fine, old friend.”

“Tell me the truth, or I will bring out the wrench,” Ratchet said in a clipped voice. “I don’t have time for your Prime-denial today.”

Optimus was silent for a moment.

“I feel … fatigued,” he admitted eventually. “I am not certain why.”

Ratchet unfolded his arms. “I’ll tell you why.”

He walked over to the table, and pulled up a screen diagram of the half-spark’s body. Along the spine of the figure were a myriad of angry red lines, outlining inflamed areas.

“I’ve been running diagnostics on her all day, and I think I’ve figured out the problem,” Ratchet said, typing in a few figures.

“Will she recover?” Optimus asked. “Do we need to call June?”

“I am _not_ calling June,” Ratchet said sharply. “Earlier, Nova was so delirious that she almost killed Miko. If she wakes up, alone, in a human hospital, she might cause an international crisis in her attempt to escape.”

Optimus hesitated. “Is it fatal?”

“No, no, I don’t think so.” Ratchet replied. “To put it simply; I think Nova is going through growing pains.”

“Growing pains?”

“Yes. Her body is … how can I say this?” Ratchet thought for a moment. “Her body is still unused to living in a hybrid state. Part of her still treats Energon as a foreign substance, and tries to expel it. Her organic half is constantly fighting with her stronger half, both parts of her trying to win out. Every once in a while, this struggle manifests in fatigue or aches, usually in her back—” he said, pointing to the red areas on the diagram. “—but lately she has been experiencing a very intense form of traumatic stress, as you know, hence the fever.”

Optimus looked down at the half-spark. “Is there any cure?”

“No. We can only help her feel comfortable until it passes.” Ratchet paused for a moment. “Our half-spark is … still young. Becoming a cyborg is not easy by any means. It takes time, and MECH didn’t give her any.”

Optimus bowed his head a little, staring at his hands. “But why can I still feel her pain?”

“That’s because of something else I found out today,” Ratchet said, turning from his computer to look at the Prime. “She’s binary bonded to you, Optimus.”

Optimus’ eyes went wide.

“What?”

“I was blind not to see it before,” Ratchet continued, putting his hands on his hips. “Mutual pain sensations; intense reactions to trauma; excessive nightmares? All signs of a shared connection. The fact that Nova was exposed to the energy of the Matrix intensifies things for both of you.”

“But … but she is a human,” Optimus said, his voice hollow. “How is that possible?”

“It isn’t,” replied the medic. “Or it shouldn’t be. But Nova isn’t really human anymore. When she came into contact with the Matrix, a few months ago, she became partly composed of your essence, and you of hers. Now, a part of her Spark has been fused to your own. Not in the same way Conjunx Endurae form bonds,” he clarified. “That would be much more — intensive, and intimate. The one you share is a unique, symbiotic relationship, of a quieter nature. I believe it is similar to the bonds once shared between Soundwave and his cassettes.”

After he had finished, a silence descended on the medibay. The quiet chatter of the other Autobots permeated the room from outside, but Optimus said nothing, staring fixedly at the half-spark. He was having a hard time taking all this in.

“What does that mean, Ratchet?” he asked finally, collecting himself.

“It means that you two have been shuffling pain back and forth, to try and keep the other from harm. If one of you is severely injured, well…” he shrugged. “It might be too much for the other to bear.”

“Is there any way to stop this, old friend?”

“Well, I can’t sever the bond,” Ratchet responded. “That would be damaging for both of you. But, there may be a way I can dull it.”

Optimus looked up at him, his round eyes following the medic’s movements as he began to bustle around the medibay.

“Based on your specific CNA signatures and the Matrix’s frequency, I think I can make a neural inhibitor to help you two “hide” the bond from one another,” he said. “By rerouting the signals sent between your Sparks, all but the most extraordinary pain will be diffused into your neural net, alerting you instead of debilitating you. A less severe alarm system, if you will.”

Optimus was silent for a minute, glancing down at the half-spark.

“What must I do?” he asked finally.

“You don’t have to do anything,” Ratchet responded. “I want you to sit with her while I prepare the inhibitor.”

He looked at Nova, and suddenly realized how tired he was. He also realized it probably wasn’t his own exhaustion.

“Very well,” he said, leaning back a little as he looked at the girl. This day had made him realize, not for the first time, how it would feel to lose her, and he never wanted it to happen again. He would be there to watch over her when she was in trouble, he would be there to greet her when she woke up, and he would be there to protect her — always — as long as he lived.

But he _was_ very tired.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

Ratchet came back a few minutes later to the sight of a girl, curled up on the medibay table under a warm blanket, and her nearby guardian, his arms folded and his head bowed in slumber. His chest rose and fell rhythmically, his normally upright posture was slackened by fatigue. His face, normally held in a rigid frame of stoic calm, was softer now.

Right then, Optimus looked a lot less like the leader of the Autobots and much more like Orion Pax. Ratchet didn't see that often anymore.

With a quiet snort, Ratchet gathered up his supplies, turned off the lights, and left the medibay, leaving them to rest while he continued his work elsewhere.

Anybody who woke them up would most certainly be wrenched. 


	15. Flying Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Autobots attempt to put a stop to the Decepticons, and Optimus and Nova explore their bond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For this chapter:
> 
> Italics = Nova's thoughts  
> Bold italics = Optimus' thoughts  
>    
> OUR EPIGRAPH (how I missed you!): 
> 
> "If you could let the pain of the past go  
> Of your soul  
> None of this is in your control  
> If you could only let your guard down,  
> If you could learn to trust me somehow  
> I swear, that I won't let you go.
> 
> If you could only let go your doubts  
> If you could just believe in me now,  
> I swear, that I won't let you go --  
> I won't let you go."
> 
> -Switchfoot
> 
> On with the show.

_Do you know how happy I was…_

**_…Before_ ** _..._

 _..._ **_Before all of this…_ **

_You are going to be the future of bio-technology…_

**_This is my good friend, Megatronus._ **

_You’re something special, kid. Don’t let anyone tell you different._

_I’m Nova._

**_My name is Orion Pax._ **

_You no longer have a name. You belong to MECH._

**_You are Optimus Prime now …_ **

_What do you want from me?_

_Please … please don’t!_

_Get away! Get away from me!_

**_Megatronus is dangerous, Orion. All he wants is power._ **

**_I refuse to believe that._ **

**_Refuse …_ **

**_Refuse to believe …_ **

_Optimus…_

**_Nova?_**

_Where’s Coby? Where’s my brother?_

_Ratchet? Can you fix him?_

_…he got into Coby’s head …_

_… my brother…_

**_Ariel? I found a new book for you…_ **

**_… I thought you might enjoy it …_ **

_… my — my fault …_

**_Elita? Where are you?!_ **

**_Elita!_ **

**_ELITA!_**

**_... my fault ..._ **

**_What have I done?_ **

_You did the right thing._

_Are you angry?_

**_Yes._ **

**_I should have been there to protect you._ **

**_… all my fault…_ **

_It’s all my fault…_

**_I can't watch you get hurt…_ **

_I can't lose you, too..._

_Why didn’t you tell me it hurt so much?_

**_You’re soft!_ **

**_You didn’t pound Megatron into scrap when you had the chance!_ **

**_SOFT!_ **

**_You're soft!_ **

_It’s all my fault…_

**_… my fault …_ **

_Who are you?_

**_You’re the Prime! You can’t just “go out for a drive” whenever you want—_ **

_A half-spark. Is that what the Decepticons called you?_

_Yes._

_… life I used to have …_

**_The life I used to have…_ **

_Let me go! I want to go home!_

**_Megatron?_ **

**_… what — what have you done?_ **

_Get away from me!_

**_Prime! Look out!_ **

_It hurts …_

**_Leave him alone!_**

**_Ariel?_ **

**_Ariel, no!_ **

**_NO!_ **

_No…_

_… hurts …_

**_It hurts… Orion…_ **

**_I won’t leave you, Ariel…_ **

**_I will never leave you._ **

_I’m sorry —_

**_I’m so sorry…_ **

_… Where am I? …_

_It’s so dark …_

**_… light our darkest hour…_ **

_What is this?_

**_This is war._ **

****_…war…_ **_War…_ **

_WAR!_

**_WAR!_ **

**_… war…_ **

_War?_

****_Is this war ever going to end?_

**_I don’t know…_ **

_Are you ready to die?_

**_Is there a point to your bluster, Prime?_ **

_The responsibility..._

**_... on your shoulders…_ **

**_Heavy… It is so heavy sometimes …_ **

_… heavy…_

_… can’t carry it alone …_

**_… You can’t do it alone, Orion…_ **

**_I must._ **

_Do you know how happy I was?_

**_Life …_ **

_… life I used to have…_

**_It’s no use. Megatron won’t listen to anyone._ **

**_He will listen to me._ **

_Coby, listen to me!_

_… Skip?_

_Skip, I gotta ask you something…_

_… Coby?_

**_Let’s hope it never comes to that, Orion._ **

**_It never will, old friend._ **

_Stop!_

_Will you … forgive me?_

_…_ **_forgive me, Megatron …_ **

**_Please - stop!_ **

_…Remember me like I was?_

**_Enough!_ **

_I love you…_

**_… I love you …_ **

_Failed._

_Failed you…_

**_I lost you._ **

_Can’t let anything happen …_

**_Protect you…_ **

**_Cannot let anything happen to you…_ **

**_Can’t let you …_ **

_… can’t let you go, too…_

_...can't let you get hurt..._

**_… I don’t want to see you die…_ **

_Do you know…_

**_… how happy I was …_ **

_… before …_

**_… all of this?_ **

_… I thought …_

**_I thought …_ **

_…_ **_everything_ ** _…_

_… was going to be …_

_…_ **_all right._ **

_… Optimus?_

**** **_… Nova_** _..._

The two of them started awake at the same time, eyes wide, staring at each other. Nova was shaking.

“Well, I see you’re both awake,” Ratchet said gruffly, making them both jump. He held a scanner in his hand. "I think that went better than expected."

“What was that?” Optimus and Nova demanded at the same time.

They glanced at each other.

“Exposure,” Ratchet replied succinctly. “Exposure to one another’s minds, which you had to become acclimated to on the spot. Sorry if it was … difficult to adjust.”

“I — I saw inside his head!” Nova cried, pointing to Optimus. “I saw his thoughts, his _life_ , like — like they were mine, or something. That doesn’t just _happen_! What was that, Ratchet?”

“A binary bond,” he said. 

Optimus was still blinking.

"What's a binary bond?" Nova demanded. "What's going on?"

"Calm down," Ratchet said. 

"I can't!"

Optimus reached over to the medical table and picked Nova up in his hands, where she clung to his fingers tightly. 

"Do you still feel sick?" Ratchet asked the half-spark.

"Uh..." Nova stammered, shaking her head. "No. No, I feel a lot better..."

"Then the sedatives worked, at least," he said, putting the information into the computer. "I'm sure you have questions."

Nova and Optimus were silent for a minute, and Ratchet noticed their eyes were unfocused, steadily staring at nothing, as if they were zoned out. 

He cleared his throat, startling the half-spark. 

"There are some things you should know," he said gently.

"What's happening to me, Ratchet?" Nova asked, her eyes wide. She lifted a hand to the back of her head, frowning as she fingered her armor. "What's this on my neck?"

"An inhibitor. It is meant to make things easier."

"What things? What's _going_ _on_?"

"Your Spark is no longer your own," the medic explained calmly. "You are binary bonded to Optimus, and you're going to have to get used to that."

She took in a breath. "But what's a binary bond?"

“Binary bonding is a symbiotic connection between two or more people," he explained. “It involves a link between Sparks, and lets each member feel the other’s pain. This is the reason why you kept feeling phantom sensations when Optimus was hurt, and why you could sometimes see what was happening to him.”

Nova let out a noise which was somewhere between a laugh and a sob. Optimus gave no indication that he had heard.

Ratchet continued, speaking to Nova. “The reason you were able to sense the pain of the others is because the Matrix energy within you could sense who you are emotionally attached to. Your body decided to turn this into a defense mechanism of sorts, shifting pain from anyone you cared about onto yourself. I've managed to eliminate those sensations entirely. Now, the bond is focused solely on neural sensations passed between you and Optimus, which will be much easier on the two of you.”

“Okay,” Nova murmured, staring up at the ceiling.

“One thing you both should remember in case of a battle — my inhibitor can only take so much. Once you exceed a certain pain threshold, the stimulation will spill over and affect you physically just as it did before. So avoid any lethal injuries, hm?”

Overwhelmed, Nova leaned her head against Optimus and closed her eyes.

Ratchet glanced at the Prime. “Optimus?”

Optimus blinked a few times, and then looked at Ratchet as if he had just realized the medic was there.

"What?"

"Are you all right? You haven't said anything."

“Yes,” he replied slowly. “I am fine.”

Ratchet opened his mouth to say something else, but then Bumblebee stuck his head into the medibay, buzzing a loud question.

“Yes, yes, they’re all right,” Ratchet replied gruffly. “I thought I told you not to come in here.”

Bumblebee shrugged, and beeped a few more times.

“Optimus is well aware that the Decepticon warship is down. He will take care of that in a minute. Go ask Bulkhead to tell the story again, or something. The children can’t have heard it enough times already.”

Bumblebee gave a cheery wave to Optimus and Nova before slipping out of the medibay.

“Optimus,” Ratchet said once the scout had left. “I am aware the two of you are not in the best shape at the moment, but you know as well as I do that this may be our only chance to put a stop to Megatron and his army.”

Optimus thought for a minute, looking very serious as usual. The medic could see that he had already made his decision, even though the conflict showed in his eyes.

“Could I speak with Nova?” he asked. “Alone?”

Ratchet sighed. “Of course. But remember; your mind has eons’ worth of memories and thoughts in its drives. She only has seventeen years or so. I don’t really know what the influx of information will do to her, so … try to take it slow.”

Optimus nodded. “I understand.”

They did not move or speak until Ratchet had left.

Optimus tried to prepare himself, but he had no idea what was happening. He had never been binary bonded with someone before. Ratchet had warned him it would probably be overwhelming, but neither of them had any idea what a grown Cybertronian mind would do to a young human one.

To become a part of someone’s mind — part of someone else in _general_ — it almost seemed like a violation. Nova had not chosen this. She had not chosen any of this. Optimus could only hope it would not be too hard for her. 

They sat in silence for a moment, Nova resting on Optimus' knee with her eyes closed.

"Stop," she said finally, clenching her fists. 

"What?" Optimus asked. 

"Thinking about her," she said through gritted teeth. "It hurts."

Optimus looked down at her. "You can't see my thoughts."

"I know," she said. "But I can tell you're sad, and it's probably about her. That's why it hurts. I can _tell_ it hurts you."

Optimus frowned, attempting to calm himself. It _did_ hurt him. Even after all this time, he could still picture her face ... and she was crying. Screaming. Asking why he had left. He gritted his teeth. 

Nova let out a cry. "Oh! Stop it stop it _stop it!"_

Her panic slammed into him like a wave. That was _not_ helping. His fists clenched. 

“Nova,” Optimus said evenly, forcing his voice to remain steady. “You’re fine.”

“That’s not what your emotions are saying,” Nova hissed through gritted teeth.

“Listen to what _I_ am saying, Nova.”

“I'm _scared_!”

"I know."

"I don't know what's happening to me!"

Taking in a breath, Optimus immediately let down his walls and sent all the reassurance he had in his Spark through the bond, stopping her mid-sentence with a rush of peace. 

"You're fine," he said soothingly.

Nova was quiet, and he felt her sigh a little as she rested against him. She was so small, and yet he felt everything in her Spark crashing into him with as much living potency as his own thoughts.

How could someone so small feel so _much_?

At least she was calm now. Who knows what would happen if she became angry?

What ... what would happen if someone hurt her, and he had to feel her -- 

_**No!** _

He forced that idea _right_ down. 

"Optimus?" she asked quietly, bringing him out of his thoughts. "Before I woke up... I ... I saw things."

"What things?"

"Things you were thinking -- or at least, things you thought before. I saw Megatron, I think, but he looked younger. Happier."

Oh, no. **_No_.**

Quickly, Optimus tried to think about something -- _anything_ besides Megatronus. She couldn't know how much of a burden it was. There was a very thin barrier protecting Nova from the immense weight on his Spark. He would _not_ let that barrier break.

"And I saw Elita One," she continued, sending a sharper pang through his soul. "And a lot of other people... and I saw you. You were so sad." She shuddered a little. "Did you see me?"

He replied with a slight, "Yes."

"Is that going to happen every time we fall asleep?" Nova asked. 

He shook his head, his voice faltering dangerously. "I do not know."

What would happen if she saw his nightmares?

Another silence fell on the medibay, only broken every so often by the shifting of Optimus' plates as he clenched and unclenched his fists. Nova's sadness still stung him, and he was struggling to keep himself from returning in kind. She did not know. She could not know. 

“Something really bad happened to her, huh?” Nova asked finally. "Elita One?"

Optimus did not look at her.

“It still hurts?”

He closed his eyes, refusing to let his emotions touch her. He couldn't. He couldn't do that to her. Calm. Stay calm. 

"Not ... as badly as it used to," he said finally, with a sigh.

But what would happen if it did hurt again? What would happen if it hurt so much he couldn't contain it?

He had to think of something else. This was immensely difficult, trying to be calm enough for two people. Optimus decided to think about the half-spark instead. 

Nova's scattered emotions still danced around in his mind; colorful little additions that he had never expected to be so heavy. That just reminded him of how real she was, and how much like a Cybertronian she had become. Already, she was beginning to steady herself, adjusting to the new bond and reining in her frantic thoughts.

Her mind still weighed on his own, but Optimus had already begun to realize he liked it. She was an oddly comforting weight. Almost like a balance of sorts. Something to counter the immense loneliness he felt sometimes. This was another way he could be close to her ... another way he could protect her. 

"That feels nice," she said from below. 

"What?"

"You." Nova chuckled a little. "You're happy."

He was? Optimus thought he'd felt something pleasant ... a quiet, gentle kind of feeling, running under his Spark. Was it coming from him?

It must have been, because Nova giggled again, louder. "It feels like a hug!" 

Immediately after he heard her laugh, Optimus' Spark leapt with the intense, warm feeling of joy that flashed through his little human -- the joy they could now share. It was just as piercing as the sadness, but it was far more wonderful, and far more bright. It surprised him. He hadn't felt that way for a long time, and it made him smile as his eyes lingered on her. 

This might not be so bad after all.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“But when the Insecticons suddenly backed off, I got inspired by my proximity to the power core,” Bulkhead said, regaling the tale of his recent actions with some excitement. “And did what I do best.”

He slammed his fists together, to the delight of Miko, who was listening to him in awe with Fowler and the other children.

“You trashed their ride like a rockstar in a hotel room,” she said, throwing her hands up in the air.

Optimus approached the group with Nova perched on his shoulder.

“We should hit the Cons right now, while they’re vulnerable,” Arcee said, clenching her fist.

“Megatron’s warship may be grounded,” Ratchet added, putting his hands on his hips, “But let’s not forget that we remain vastly outnumbered, especially since he has added the Insecticon hive to his ranks.”

“Then maybe it’s time I called in an air strike,” Fowler offered.

“Or for us to consider more extreme measures, Agent Fowler,” said Optimus gravely.

Nova, listening to this exchange, felt a sudden somber feeling from her guardian as he spoke. He had already made his decision, and she could tell he was not happy about it.

Minutes later, she, Optimus, and Ratchet stood before the little storage room that held the Spark Extractor on a humble pedestal, shining in the glare of the light.

She shivered. The idea that that thing could suck her heart out at a moment’s notice was unsettling, to say the least. Optimus glanced down at her, and Nova stifled her fear. He had to do what needed to be done. This wasn’t the time to be hesitant.

“The Spark Extractor?” Ratchet inquired, his voice serious. “Optimus, are you certain you want to travel down this path?”  
Optimus ducked his head and entered the storage room behind his old friend, staring at the Extractor.

“While I am deeply reluctant to deploy a weapon of this caliber, especially one forged by Decepticon hands—” Nova felt a slight twinge of disgust from him, “— This may be our only chance to end the war, once and for all.”

 _And what happens then?_ she asked herself. She hoped Optimus could not sense her doubt.

He could.

“This troubles you?” he asked, as Ratchet left to ready the team for departure.

“Not as much as it troubles you, I think. You haven’t been this determined to end it all since Raf got hurt,” she pointed out.

The memory of Megatron’s resurrection of Unicron, still fresh in their minds, made both sides of their bond flare in anger.

“I do not desire Megatron, or any Decepticon, to harm any human again,” he said, staring at the relic. “If this is the means required to put an end to their destruction, I am willing to employ it.”

“I understand,” she said. “But I don’t like it.”

“Nor do I.”

“Can I go with you?”

He looked down at her. “No.”

“Why not?”

“If something goes wrong, I do not want you to pay for my mistake,” he said firmly. “You will remain here.”

Nova did not argue.

“Optimus!” Ratchet called, bringing the two of them out of the storage bay. “I’m detecting a massive spike of energy at the Decepticon crash site. It appears to be Dark Energon."

The team took in his words with sudden silence. If Megatron had used Dark Energon again, how could they be sure the Spark Extractor would work at all?

Nova watched as Ratchet readied the Groundbridge, which burst to life in the tunnel with the same old noise.

“Autobots,” Optimus said, in a voice that was far steadier than his turbulent mind, “Transform, and roll out.”

The others did as he said, entering the Groundbridge and disappearing in flashes of light. Nova watched them go with a heavy heart. She would not be joining them on this one.

But before the Prime could follow them through, Fowler spoke up.

“Hold on, Prime,” he said, approaching the railing.

Optimus stopped, and turned to him.

“If you are gonna deploy some kinda super weapon in a final showdown with the Cons; it’s my job as a representative of Planet Earth to bear witness.”

Optimus and Ratchet looked at each other. Then, Optimus looked at Nova.  
“Will you provide protection to Agent Fowler?” he asked.

“Yes!” Nova said excitedly. “I knew you’d let me go!”

“Lucky,” Miko groaned.

Fowler and Nova climbed into Optimus’ cab as he transformed, and the next thing the half-spark knew, they were driving through the swirling green vortex, on what might be the final day of the war.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“Sweet Lady Liberty,” Fowler swore as he hopped out of Optimus’ vehicle mode and laid eyes upon the Decepticon warship.

It hovered in the air before them, glowing violet in the gray sky, and even damaged, the Nemesis was a magnificent sight. The problem was, they had no way of getting up there, and Nova knew that while the Decepticons had the air, they had the advantage. Soundwave was probably scanning them right now.

Sure enough, the ship was bristling with weapons in an instant, and the guns sticking out of every available crevice locked on to their position before they could do anything. Fortunately, they had been prepared for this.

“Bumblebee, now!” Optimus said into the commlink.

Nova dragged Agent Fowler behind a rock as Bumblebee roared into sight, his wheels churning up dust as he raced for the warship. Red lasers peppered the ground, making pock marks in the dirt as they chased after Bumblebee’s taillights.

“Arcee, Bulkhead, draw their fire!” Optimus ordered, charging forward. The scattered fire from the warship was instantly focused on the group of three which branched off and rushed toward the warship.

Behind their rock, Nova peered out at the Autobots through her visor and Fowler raised a pair of binoculars to his eyes. Even from here, Nova could sense Optimus’ urgency as he gave directions to the little scout through the commlink.

 _“Once you launch the Spark Extractor, be sure to clear its radius before it can activate,”_ he said.

Bumblebee swerved slightly out of the way of incoming laser fire, and transformed, catching the Extractor and charging forward, his wing-doors bouncing as he ran. Nova watched him go.

“You can do it, Bee,” she said under her breath. Fowler ’s binos were glued to his eyes now. This was it.

Bumblebee visibly gathered all his strength and jumped, ready to hurl the Spark Extractor at the warship, but suddenly, out of nowhere, a beam of violet energy shot out of the warship and slammed him full in the chest. A beeping cry was heard in the commlink, and then the scout lay still, frozen on the ground.

At the same time, Nova felt searing panic shoot into her Spark. It wasn’t hers.

 _“Bumblebee!”_ Optimus shouted into the commlink.

The Spark Extractor tumbled from the scout’s hands as he hit the ground, and rolled forward in the sand, gleaming slightly in the light of the lasers.

“Mine!” Arcee cried, scooping it up and sprinting for the warship. But she hadn’t made it thirty yards before the purple beam enveloped her slight blue frame, bringing her down with a groan.

“What’s happening to them?!” Fowler demanded. “What is that thing?”

“I — I don’t know,” Nova said, trying to think under the strain of Optimus’ alarm. “I think it’s — it’s a stasis beam, or something. I don’t think they’re dead.”

Bulkhead made the next attempt, thundering toward the Extractor and grabbing it in his burly hands, but he hadn’t taken a single step before he, too was frozen in place by the beam.

Nova gasped with the sudden weight of Optimus’ desperation. The panic radiated off of him in waves.

“Kid! You okay?” Fowler asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

The lasers pounded into the ground all around Optimus; the last man standing. The only one left.

“Go,” Nova said, sending him all the encouragement she could. “Go! You can do it!”

Hesitating for less than a second longer, Optimus charged through the lasers and dodged the stasis beam, somersaulting out of the way just in time. Recovering, he made a beeline for Bulkhead and yanked the Spark Extractor from his grip. He ran, heading for the warship with the stasis beam right on his heels. One stride, two strides, three, and with a yell, he leapt into the air with the terrible weapon in his hands.

But the stasis beam shot out of the warship with terrible accuracy, and blasted the Prime squarely in the chest.

Nova felt a shot of anger, of intense shock, of horrible dismay…

And Optimus dropped like a stone.

“ _No_!” she screamed.

Fowler stared in disbelief through the binoculars.

But both of them looked up as the shadow of the warship crawled over them. The Nemesis loomed in the sky, with enough weaponry to kill them both.

Nova stood in front of Fowler protectively, glaring up at the ship, daring them to do something about it. The weapons ratcheted forward, pointing directly at them. Nova felt a cold sense of dread creeping into her mind as a sad thought came to her.

_The last thing I will ever feel is Optimus’ pain._

“So much for Christmas in Fiji,” Fowler said behind her.

Nova braced herself. If she was going to go out, it wouldn’t be a coward’s death. She was sorely afraid, but she would stand here until she was shot in the chest like her guardian.

They waited for the killing blow, but in another second, the guns receded into the ship, and the metal of the Nemesis groaned as it began to turn away from them.

“Huh?” Fowler asked in confusion. “Where’re they going?”

“I don’t know,” Nova said, breathing a relieved sigh. “But I’m not complaining.”

They watched the ship veer to port and fly away, heading in the opposite direction of the battle.

Fowler put a finger to his commlink. “Team’s down,” he said. “Requesting medivac.”

 _“Understood,”_ Ratchet replied.

Nova had already scrambled out form behind the rock and ran to Optimus, her feet pounding in the sand. Reaching his prone form, she sidestepped the Spark Extractor and knelt beside his head.

“Oh, no,” she murmured, placing a hand on his face.

His frozen eyes were wide open — staring at her. Thankfully, he wasn’t dead — she would have felt it if he had died — but he was so terribly still; his body stuck in a position of stiff surprise that she hated to see. It was like the Immobilizer all over again.

She tried to sense his emotions on the other side of their bond, but his mind had gone fuzzy, like static on TV, and she couldn’t tell what was happening in his head.

“Optimus, if you can hear me, it’s going to be all right,” she said. “Everyone’s fine, we still have the Extractor, and the Decepticons are gone. Ratchet will be here any minute to pick you up.”

He made no response.

“Come on, kid,” Fowler said, catching up to her. “The Doc sent the bridge. He’s gonna need our help.”

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

It took them a long time, but eventually, with Ratchet’s help and a lot of rollers, they managed to push or carry everyone through the Groundbridge. It took a bit of doing, but soon afterward they succeeded in standing everyone upright beside the medibay, where Ratchet could easily scan their injuries into the monitors. And finally, as the bridge closed behind her, Nova walked back into the base, carrying the Spark Extractor in her arms.

The foreign device was just as tall as she was, and much more menacing up close. Nova inspected it with a strange sort of fascination. If she accidentally touched it the wrong way, it could go off, and she would be the first one to die. Would it be quick? She did wonder about that. The idea that she held the power to kill herself and everyone else in an instant seemed almost — appealing.

_Stop. Don’t even think about it. It’s a Decepticon weapon, it’s meant to make you think this way._

“I’ll take that,” Ratchet said, reaching down and plucking it from her hands. “Are you and Fowler all right?”

“Yes,” she said, joining the children as they stared at their guardians from the ground.

It was an eerie thing, seeing motionless statues of the people you had been talking with just a few hours ago.

“What happened out there?” Jack asked. “I didn’t know the Decepticons could do this.”

“They couldn’t,” Nova said. “Not until recently.”

“Are they dead?” Miko asked.

Ratchet finished up his scans and turned to the monitors, pressing a few buttons as he looked at Optimus’ schematics. Apart from some red areas which indicated straining from the fall, he looked all right.

“They’re alive,” he said. “But I’ve never encountered this form of stasis lock.”

Fowler approached the railing, closest to Ratchet’s eye level.

“The Cons are crossing the Atlantic,” he said, reminding them of the bigger problem, “Making abeeline for North America.”

“Wait,” said Jack. “We can track them?”

“Why aren’t they cloaked, like usual?” Raf asked.

“I have no idea,” Nova said. “And we should have died back there, or at least gotten captured.”

“None of this makes a lick of sense,” agreed Fowler. “They had us in their crosshairs, but the Cons just took off.”

“They even bailed on that Spark Extractor thingy,” Miko said.

“Well, if the ship isn’t cloaked, maybe the communications relay’s open,” Jack suggested, looking up at Ratchet. “And—”

“Yip-ip-ip! And are you suggesting that we just — call Megatron, and ask him what’s going on up there?” Ratchet demanded gruffly.

The kids shrugged. Ratchet made eye contact with Nova. Nova shrugged.

Ratchet looked at Fowler. Fowler shrugged.

“If we can do it, I think it’s worth a shot,” Nova said. “Chances are, Megatron doesn’t understand what’s happening any more than we do.”

“Maybe someone on their team tried to take over,” Raf suggested.

Ratchet sighed. “Let’s just … call.”

The kids and Nova joined Fowler on the railing as Ratchet opened the communication channel.

“Autobot Outpost Omega One to Decepticon warship,” he said. “Megatron, please respond.”

There was no answer.

“Maybe he went to the bathroom?” Miko suggested.

“I didn’t expect the leader of the bad guys to be this quiet,” Jack said.

“Maybe it’s Soundwave’s turn to be in charge,” Raf offered.

Ratchet tried again. “Megatron?”

A few more seconds of silence, and then a voice which was definitely _not_ Megatron spoke.

 _“Megatron has been relieved of his command,”_ the gravelly, deep voice said. The ID picture next to the voiceprint showed only static.

“Who is this?” Ratchet demanded.

“ _Who is this?”_ the voice countered.

“Have you taken control of the Decepticon vessel?” asked Ratchet.

 _“I_ am _the vessel,”_ said the voice. _“Any Cybertronian who interferes with my mission will be neutralized.”_

Pictures flashed up onto the screen, transmitted from the warship — pictures of Vehicons and Insecticons alike, frozen where they stood.

“What mission?” Ratchet asked.

_“Priority one: Decrypt Iacon database and recover Decepticon technology.”_

“For what purpose?”

Silence. Then, suddenly, the voice cut the call, and the static disappeared.

“It hung up? Rude,” Miko remarked, folding her arms.

“Rude?! There’s a giant spaceship flying around, collecting Decepticon weapons of mass destruction!” Fowler cried.

“Well, a giant spaceship filled with neutralized Decepticons,” Jack reminded them.

“Point?” Fowler demanded.

“This could be our only chance to slip aboard and download the Iacon database,” replied Jack.

“So Optimus can decode it,” Raf agreed.

“Good idea, cousin,” Nova said, smiling at Jack.

He smiled back.

“Ingenious,” Ratchet said, turning to them. “I will infiltrate the Decepticon warship.”

“Uh, not ingenious,” Jack responded. “You saw what it did to the Decepticons.”

Raf nodded. “And probably Megatron, too.”

“ _And_ Team Prime,” Miko reminded them.

Fowler grinned. “But that tub had me dead to rights, and I’m still breathing.”

“So am I,” Nova added.

“The ship may be blind to humans,” said Jack.

“Which would be very helpful in the event that someone would want to sneak aboard,” Nova said, looking at the medic. “I think we can do it.”

Ratchet considered for a moment.

“Very well, Agent Fowler,” he said. “But at the first sign of trouble, I am bridging you right back here.”

He took a small device out from a port in one of the monitors, handing it to Fowler. “Now, in order to download the database, you will need a compatible transfer drive.”

“A … what?” Fowler asked, taking the thing.

“He’ll also need tech support,” Raf smiled.

“And backup,” said Miko.

Nova crossed her arms. “And more backup.”

“Are you sure the ship will not detect you?” Ratchet asked looking down at the half-spark. “You’re partly Cybertronian, remember.”

“It didn’t fire on me before,” Nova shrugged. “I’ll leave my armor off, just in case.”

He sighed.

"If any of you get hurt, Optimus will never forgive me,” he said, looking at the five of them. “Be very careful, and use your commlinks to tell me what’s happening, understand?”

They nodded.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

The Groundbridge was the only thing that broke the heavy silence draped over the warship, and as five small figures walked through, the stuffy quiet overtook the air once again, pressing into every corner of the hall. Nova hated it. Something was wrong here, something that felt similar to what she experienced in the Earth’s core, before Optimus had faced Unicron. The memory nearly made her sick.

“Fowler to base,” the government agent said into the comms. “We’re in.”

“ _Good,”_ Ratchet said in their ears as they walked through the forest of frozen Vehicons. _“Their data core should be accessible from any console.”_

Astonished excitement was etched all over Miko’s face.

“You really snuck on board when the Cons captured Optimus?” She asked the half-spark in a whisper.

“Yes,” Nova said, “And I like it even less than the last time.”

The half-spark gazed up at the Vehicons as they walked past. To her surprise, instead of looking angered or evil like they did from a distance, up close the drones looked — scared. Terrified, as if they were normal people just minding their own business, maybe doing chores or talking with a friend, and then they had been instantly stunned by some invisible enemy, thrust into a coma before they could cry out.

“Poor troopers,” she murmured.

“You actually feel sorry for the Cons?” Miko asked, snickering.

“Well, yes,” Nova said, gesturing at the nearest Vehicon, who had his hands raised as if to protect his head. “Look at them. Even though they don’t have faces, you can tell they were scared.”

“Yeah, well, if my commanding officer had pumped an unknown stimulant into the main transport vehicle, I’d be scared too,” Fowler muttered. “Let’s hurry up.”

They crossed quietly into the next room, where there stood a solitary computer monitor, blinking quietly in the dark. A familiar shape was slumped over the keyboard panel.

Raf gulped, and pointed.

“Th-there’s one,” he said in a trembling voice. None of them had forgotten about the Decepticon medical officer.

Miko ran forward with no hesitation. Before anyone could stop her, Miko had raised her fist and thumped loudly on Knock Out’s leg. He made absolutely no response.

“Doc Knock is knocked out,” she said gleefully.

“Don’t joke,” Nova warned. “I hear he’s excellent with an electric prod.”

“Look,” Raf said, gazing up at the monitor. “The ship’s already decrypted two sets of coordinates.”

All eyes turned to the red screen. Sure enough, there were two sets of Decepticon ciphers linking in place, soon joined by another one.

“Three,” Raf said. He turned to Agent Fowler. “Let’s rip and run!”

Struggling, Fowler climbed up Knock Out’s body and helped Raf along behind him, reaching the computer monitor right after the little boy.

“There’s the port,” Raf said, pointing to the plug for the drive. It lay right beneath Knock Out’s head.

Fowler knelt and plugged the device into the computer pad, which confirmed the link with a quiet beep. Nova crossed her arms from where she stood next to Jack and Miko on the ground.

“How is it going up there?” she asked. This place was making her antsy, and being away from Optimus this long had begun to feel weird.

“Give it some time,” Raf said. “This database is probably huge.”

Jack was peering at the first set of coordinates, which corresponded to a map in the corner of the screen.

“Um, why is the ship heading to Manhattan?” he asked.

Fowler and Raf turned to look.

Sure enough, the first location had New York directly in its sights.

“Because that’s where the first set of coordinates are located?” Raf guessed.

Fowler stared at the screen.

“What would a relic of Cybertron be doing in the Big Apple?” he asked.

 _“The Iacon relics landed on Earth eons ago, Agent Fowler,”_ Ratchet explained. _“Long before the city was built atop it.”_

“Which means if the ship wants this one, it may need to move some buildings out of the way,” Jack said soberly.

“How many people live in Manhattan?” Nova asked.

“It’s one of the most heavily populated cities in the country,” Fowler said. “Our mission just got complicated.” He put a finger to his commlink as Jack, Miko and Nova, scrambled up the comatose Knock Out to join them. “How do we deter this ship?”

 _“I would advise disabling the navigation module,”_ Ratchet directed. _“Call up the main navigation menu.”_

“There,” Raf said, pointing to a panel. He made a move for it, but Fowler pushed him back.

“Step aside, son,” he said sternly.

The only adult in the room approached the panel and knelt beside it, reaching out to touch it. But just as his hand made contact with the metal surface, there was a loud crackling noise, and with a grunt, Fowler stumbled aside and fell to the floor.

“Agent Fowler!” Jack cried.

The only adult in the room groaned from where he had hit the ground, his eyes rolling upward as he lost consciousness.

“SYSTEM ACCESS DETECTED,” a deathly voice said from above. “INTERFERENCE WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.”

“There!” Raf pointed to a security camera that had popped out of the ceiling in response to Fowler’s attempts. It swiveled in circles, trying to determine where the intruders were.

“REVEAL YOURSELF,” it boomed.

“Nobody move!” Nova whispered.

They stood stock-still for a torturously long minute, as the camera roved over their position, back and forth.

“It doesn’t see us!” Miko whispered triumphantly.

 _“Yet,”_ Ratchet said. “ _The ship must not be scanning for carbon-based life forms. But one it widens its search parameters …”_

“We’re toast,” Raf finished.

“ _I’m bridging you back,”_ the medic said firmly.

“No,” Jack replied. “There are millions of lives at stake in New York, and we four are currently the only ones who can do anything about it.”

 _“You’re out of your element, Jack,”_ Ratchet said. _“These readings, the ship’s rapid recovery, all point to the fact that Megatron employed Dark Energon to repair it.”_

Nova followed the others down as Jack took Agent Fowler’s pulse.

“Hold on,” the boy said, “If the ship’s powered by Dark Energon, we can dump it, right?”

 _“Hm.”_ Ratchet considered this. _“You’ll need to reverse the warship’s Energon infuser. Follow the main overhead conduits. They should lead you to the ship’s power core.”_

“I know where it is,” Nova said, waving them forward. “Follow me!”

They sprinted down the hallway, dodging Vehicon legs and clambering over toppled bodies, heading for the center of the ship.

◅ ◬▚►⎊◄▞ ◬▻

“Come on!” Nova shouted. “We have to hurry!”

They ran for a minute longer, keeping up with her rather well, until suddenly Nova skidded to a stop in front of a short hallway.

At the very end could be seen the glow of stacked Energon cubes.

“Here it is,” she said.

They approached the power core, walking now. Nova felt the same awful presence growing stronger as they neared the end of the hall. It was oppressively strong, stifling her breath and forcing her to slow down.

“It is Dark Energon,” she said, gritting her teeth. “Lots of it.”

“The same stuff that hurt Raf?” Miko asked.

Nova just nodded.

“Try not to touch anything, you guys,” Jack said. “We don’t know what kind of effect it could have.”

At last, they arrived at the end of the hall, but all stopped in their tracks when they saw what — or who — was standing there.

Megatron, his hand frozen in a death grip on the Energon infuser’s handle, was fixed in a motionless position of terror, bending backwards as though he had been shot from behind.

It was not a pretty sight.

“Looks like Megatron had the same idea,” Jack said.

“Then we’re on the right track,” Raf smiled.

 _“The Energon injection valve can only be operated manually,_ ” Ratchet explained through the comms.

“Manually?!”

The kids all looked at Megatron. How would they be able to do what even the Decepticon warlord couldn’t?

“I’ll do it,” Nova said suddenly. “My armor gives me a little power. I can probably push him over.”

 _“But once your armor is activated, your Spark can be detected by the ship,”_ Ratchet said. _“I won’t be able to bridge you back in time.”_

“The ship is going to find us soon, anyway,” Nova said. “I don’t have time to argue —”

But before she could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by a terrible voice.

“I AM INFESTED WITH ALIEN LIFE FORMS!” The ship roared, fixating on their little group. All four of the kids looked up at the camera, which was set in one of the claws made for inserting Energon cubes into the infuser.

“Uh-oh. We just got named,” Miko said.

“Run!” Nova said, pushing them toward the stacked Energon cubes. “Go!”

They did as she said, Jack ushering them in between the towers of stacked boxes as the claw descended from the ceiling. It chose to follow them as Nova took a deep breath and began to climb up the Decepticon warlord. He was all angles and spikes, and she was certain she’d cut something if she climbed too fast, but she heard the clanging of the claw as it dashed Energon cubes to the side, intent on seizing her friends, and she scrambled up his body faster.

Finally she reached the top, and jumped to the platform which held the lever. His tight fist was still clutching the lever, a testament to the desperation he had felt.

“I almost feel sorry for you,” she said to the purple eyes, so wide open — just like Optimus’ had been. “But you should have known better.”

She put her shoulder against the lever and braced her feet against the ground, activating her armor and straining with all her might. She let out a shout, and pushed against his knuckles harder, but apart from a little jolt, she could not move him.

She kicked his fingers. “Move! _Move_ , you stubborn piece of metal!”

The screams of Raf and Miko alerted her. The claw had almost made its way to the bottom of the Energon stack, where the children had huddled into the furthest corner, Jack putting his arms protectively around the younger ones.

“ALL PARASITES WILL BE ERADICATED,” it roared.

_What can I do? What can I do? Think!_

Nova looked at the way Megatron was standing, and then looked at the claw, and a little plan began to form in her head.

She leapt down from the warlord’s body and cupped her hands around her mouth, yelling out: “HEY! Over here!”

The claw snapped around to point at her, quivering with rage.

“You want to neutralize a Cybertronian?” Nova asked, clenching her fists and flaring her armor. “Well, here I am!”

She was practically glowing now, the Energon shining through her bio lights. How could the ship possibly refuse?

“No!” Raf cried.

“Nova, run!” Jack shouted.

The claw snapped forward faster than she had expected, and she just barely managed to dodge to the side as it slammed into the ground next to her.

She looked back, making sure it was following her, then ran for Megatron, making a beeline for his leg.

“Come on,” she grumbled, staring down the claw. “I’m a half-breed parasite. Come get me. You know you want to.”

The claw did not hesitate. It darted forward intent on snapping her up in its cruel jaws, but at the very last second, Nova dove underneath the apparatus and slid out of its way, rolling forward.

The claw had no time to divert its course, and collided with Megatron’s aft with the force of an angered warship. The sound of clashing metal rang out into the power core.

Sure enough, the warlord began to tilt backward from the impact, his hand still gripping the lever, and his momentum pulled the injection handle all the way downward, his body creaking all the way.

The warlord hit the ground hard as the bright blue of healthy Energon filled the tubes leading up to the ceiling, relieving the oppressive energy of Unicron’s blood.

“CRITICAL POWER DRAIN,” the ship rumbled, its voice becoming fainter by the second. “I AM — IN — COMMAND. PREPARE to be … neutralized …”

The claw stopped inches short of the injection valve, so close to completing its objective, and failing all the same.

Nova sighed in relief as she watched the cube of Dark Energon slide out of the power core.

“We did it,” she said.

Then, to their horror, Megatron’s body _moved_. His groan made them all scramble away in a panic.

Nova mouthed the word — “GO!”

“Run!” Jack said.

All four of them ran faster than they had ever run before, but Raf fell behind, his short legs struggling to keep up with the others.

“Wait for me!” Raf squeaked.

Nova turned around and scooped him up in her arms. “I gotcha.”

They sprinted past scores of dazed Vehicons, who came out of stasis just as they ran by, and Nova found herself panicking more and more as they got closer to the computer room. What had happened to Fowler? What if Knock Out had woken up?

She ran faster. “Come _on_!”

Suddenly, she gasped, stumbling forward a little. Optimus was awake. She could feel him coming back, and his mind was a huge mess.

“Augh!” she grunted, gripping the boy in her arms tightly. The initial anger and shock hit her full force, and she faltered a few steps.

Raf looked up at her, hanging on to his glasses. “Nova, what’s wrong?!”

Breathing hard, she looked down at him, and laughed a little.

“Nothing’s wrong!” she said, beginning to run again. “I’m just excited to go home, that’s all!”

Jack pressed his finger to his commlink as they approached the monitor room.

“Ratchet!” he yelled. “Fire up the Groundbridge!”

Decepticons were coming alive all around them, but they made it into the room just as the last Vehicon had stirred, and no one followed them.

With a sigh of relief, Nova put Raf down as Miko approached Agent Fowler, who had recovered enough to groan.

"On your feet, soldier,” Miko said, draping one of his arms around her shoulders.

“And… beavers an’ ducks ’n’ walnuts an’ _Grandma_!” he slurred, falling forward out of her grasp.

Miko grimaced as he hit the floor again. There was no way she could lift him all by herself.

The boys looked at the computer screen. They still had to get the thumb drive. Knock Out had not woken up yet, but the progress monitor on the screen showed only about forty percent of the database had been downloaded.

“That’s all that’s been downloaded?!” Jack asked, glaring at the screen.

Raf nodded. “The Iacon file must be _huge_!”

The Groundbridge opened up behind them, flaring with the vibrant green light that Nova had never been so happy to see.

“Sweet!” Miko said, bending down to lift up Fowler again.

“Here, let me help,” Nova said, taking his other arm.

“Come on, here’s our ride!” Miko said to Jack.

But Nova’s cousin was looking at the computer with a determination that the half-spark recognized.

“Jack?” Raf asked, looking back at him.

“Get Fowler outta here,” Jack directed, beginning to climb up the Decepticon’s body.

Nova knew there would be no arguing with him.

“Go,” she said, lugging Fowler into the Groundbridge.

Raf ran along next to them. “We have to tell Ratchet! Jack isn’t going to be able to do it on his own.”

They stumbled back into the base, but Ratchet had already counted them before Nova could open her mouth.

“Jack?” he asked.

“Back there,” the half-spark replied, jerking her head. “Hurry.”

Ratchet charged through the Groundbridge without a moment’s hesitation, and Nova helped place Fowler onto the nearest human-sized bed as the remaining Autobots looked around in confusion.

“What happened?” Bulkhead asked.

But Nova only wanted to talk to one of them.

“Thank the Allspark you’re okay!” she cried, running to Optimus and throwing her arms around his leg.

The confusion in his side of the bond was instantly replaced with relief, and he smiled at her.

"Nova, are you all right?" he asked, sensing the residual panicked rush that came with their escape from the warship. 

"I'm fine," she replied. "I was so worried about you. Are you hurt?"

He put a hand to his head wearily. "Only a little."

A second later, Ratchet returned from within the bridge, with Jack in one hand and the transfer drive in the other.

Raf looked at the white paint flecks that scraped the medic’s knuckles.

“What happened to Knock Out?” he asked.

  
“He couldn’t handle constructive criticism,” Ratchet replied, setting Jack on the ground.

“Were you five aboard the Decepticon warship?” Optimus asked, a little reproachfully. Nova could feel the worry in his Spark.

“Nobody except Fowler got hurt, and we completed the mission,” she said. “It wasn’t a big deal.”

He frowned a little, doubtful of that. Nova reached up to him anyway, her hands outstretched in a silent question, and Optimus obliged, picking her up and placing her on his shoulder carefully as Ratchet filled them in on the events which had occurred since their sudden stasis lock.

Nova liked sitting on Optimus’ shoulder. The cabling around his neck provided little handholds for her to hang on to, and even though she had had enough practice to perch there and balance on her own, she still liked to hold tightly to him at times, just to let him know she was there. Optimus stood taller than anyone in the entire base — even Bulkhead only came up to his elbow — and when Nova was sitting up there, right next to him, she felt like she was on top of the whole world.

By now, Ratchet had plugged the drive into the computer and pulled up all the information the kids had managed to gain. The others gathered around, watching him work.

“The download of the Iacon database may be incomplete,” he said, “But we now possess four sets of coordinates decoded by the ship.”

“Then we must act quickly,” Optimus said. “For Megatron possesses the same four sets. And he will not hesitate to obtain the potential doomsday devices which lie at the site of each.”

The race had begun.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments would be great, I love to hear from you all!
> 
> -swingaway


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